BUILT FOR ART: SLIDESHOW FROM BUILT FOR ART 2011
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Built for ART is an annual event at 401 Richmond that brings forth artists from the building and its community. Every year these artists have new and inspired projects to share, which should be no surprise as the people who work and pass through 401 daily are constantly engaged in the creation and exchange of new ideas. Like 401 Richmond, a heritage building dedicated to adaptive reuse and supporting the arts, Built for ART follows the same principles. This year’s adaptations of the building’s spaces include the front lobby as an interactive performance space, the courtyard as an outdoor cinema, the side loading dock as a portrait studio, the back loading dock as a gallery on wheels, the Urbanspace Gallery as a dance studio and interactive game site, the basement lobby as a collective’s painting studio, and the 4th floor freight elevator lobby as home to an interactive bench. 401’s talented tenants will also be presenting special projects in their studios, shops, and galleries including all night musical performances, projections, and exhibitions. Built for ART and the community it reflects is a good indicator of the current preoccupations of artists practicing in our metropolis. This year artists are creating projects that engage with technology, interactivity, immediacy, and hybridity, as seen in projects by Mike Parsons and TORQ, Candida Girling and Aaron Davis, and Gallery 44 Members. These are elements of daily life and their interaction demonstrates the flux of human existence: ever reaching for the new and ever returning to the known. Also arising out of this year’s show is a spirit of collaboration and collectivity, as seen in presentations by the Academy of Spanish Dance, Cinecycle, Donald Quan and Amanda Mabro, Faustwork Mask Theatre, Laura Stein, Trancendental Mirror, and Art house Co-op. For as much as advances in technology speed up our lives and often improve our efficiency, there is a neglected human achievement that came long before – that of "community". Arts communities, though often under-resourced, achieve a significant level of social advancement and functionality. 401 is a good model of strength in collectivity in that its tenants function in networks (sharing audiences, materials, spaces, promotions, etc.) to leverage themselves forward as a community engaged in the examination of the latest ideas while at the same time seeking sustainable directions. Built for ART thanks all of this year’s participants for answering the call for ART, both interactive and performative, to engage and invite visitors, not just to view but also to participate. So now we call on you, visitors, to come and engage, enjoy, converse, ideate and partake in the art world created for you at 401 Richmond during Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2011! Alice Dixon, Curator Dedicated to 2fik, Stefan, Maayan and Aaron, Emily and Cooper, and Evan, who follow their inspiration and have inspired me. Curator + Coordinator: Alice Dixon |
