AGO: Ai Wei Wei According to What Exhibit

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is known as much for, if not more for, his politics than his art.  He even acknowledges this himself, with his quote that “Art is Politics and Politics is Art”.This fact is immediately apparent when viewing the AGO's exhibit Ai Weiwei According to What.  Several works of art comment on the 2008 earthquake in the Sichan province, which resulted in the deaths of 90,000 people.  This included over 5000 children who were killed when shoddily  built schoolhouses collapsed.  The pieces act as a scathing condemnation of a corrupt government who skimped on building materials for the schools and then tried to hush up the tragedy.

Black and white photos of the earthquake sites show the debris from the decimated schools, littered with the school children’s backpacks.  It was telling that neighbouring buildings continued to stand undamaged.  The deceptively whimsical snake sculpture which weaves its way along the ceiling of the AGO’s second floor atrium has a sobering message.  It is actually made from children's backpacks, sewn together as a tribute to the children who died in the earthquake.   

Ai gathered up mangled pieces of rusty rebar steel that were insufficient to support the "tofu" schools and melded them together to form an undulating landscape with a great fissure running through the middle.  The sculpture is so heavy that a structural engineer was tasked to find the sturdiest part of the AGO and to certify that it could bare the weight of this piece.

His most overtly defiant work is a direct reaction to the government’s refusal to acknowledge or take accountability for the victims.  He painstakingly compiled the names, ages and other statistics of the children who died in the earthquake and has listed them in a floor to ceiling display that covers an entire wall.  He then had a recording made of people reading out these names, so that they will never be forgotten.

Given his history of outspoken criticism of his homeland, it is a testament to Ai Weiwei's clout and influence that he has not been permanently jailed or otherwise made to "disappear", as is wont to happen to dissidents in China.  You have to admire his bravery and fortitude in face of oppression, which he counters by turning any actions taken against him into more "art".  When he was beaten and arrested over his "citizen's investigation" of the earthquake, he created photographic documentation of the police arresting him, and of the brain scan which showed that they had given him a concussion.  When the government burned down his art studio as punishment, he organized a big "crab-eating" party in protest, since in Chinese, the words for river crab and "harmonious society" sound alike.  When the police put him under house arrest so that he could not attend his own party, Ai created a sculpture made of thousands of porcelain crabs to commemorate the event. 

Ai Weiwei is currently held in China under "house arrest" but he still manages to use social media and send works of arts to shows around the world including the current Venice Biennale.  He has strong support from the western world as demonstrated by the giant cardboard "Free Ai Wei Wei" sculpture that Toronto artist Sean Martindale made of him when he was detained by police in 2011 and went missing for a period of time.

The influence of Ai's 12 year stay in the United States from 1981 through 1993  can be seen, especially in his earlier art.  His black and white photos taken in New York City show his affinity for artists like Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp and John Jacobs, whose famous piece called "According to What" was used as the name of the AGO exhibition.  In one photo, the display of paper towels that Ai Weiwei is standing in front of is reminiscent of Warhol's soup cans.  Other western influences can be found in his Coca-Cola vase piece, and his pun-fully named "Chateau Lafite", which takes an empty bottle of the very expensive French wine and wraps a pair of communist China canvas slippers around it.

The piece called "Forever", comprised of 42 bicycles welded together in a circular formation so that one bicycle starts where the next one ends, harkens Duchamp's 1913 work "Bicycle Wheel".  The work also ironically references the Chinese bicycle company called Forever, which once provided the primary mode of transportation in China, but whose business invincibility has since waned with the uptake of automobiles.

Since returning to China, Ai's more recent works focus more on Chinese themes or use traditional Chinese techniques.  The work called "Grapes" combines 40 Qing dynasty wooden stools through traditional joining techniques without the use of nails.  I was initially perturbed that I was too short to see the surface of the piece called "Map of China".  Reading the description of the piece, I realized that this was the point–to show that China is so big that it is "impossible to grasp the vastness and complexity".  One of the most impressive work is "Moon Chest" which allows you to view the various phases of the moon as you walk by the circular openings.

Several of Ai's works highlight his provocative, anti-establishment attitude.  In "Dropping the Urn", a series of black and white photographs show him dropping and smashing a Han dynasty urn.  This is meant to symbolize his quest for change and desire to break with tradition.  "A Study in Perspective" takes it a step further by depicting Ai Weiwei literally giving the middle finger to some of the world's most iconic landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, White House and Tienanmen Square.  At least he is equally irreverent to both the East and the West.

The Ai Weiwei exhibit extends beyond the AGO by installing sculptures of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs around the fountain/skating rink at Nathan Phillips Square.

In the movie Ai Weiwei Never Sorry, it is mentioned that Ai rarely creates his own works anymore, but merely develops the ideas and then subcontracts the actual construction of the pieces.  This made me question what is the definition of an artist.  My question was answered in an excellent lecture on Ai Weiwei, given at the North York Central Library by U of T professor of Asian art and art historian Yi Gu.  One of the topics she covered in her talk related to why Ai's work is considered art and what is the definition of art in general.  Her answer was that contemporary art no longer focuses on the materials, techniques or the execution of art but instead is all about the ideas or concepts.  She also said that the current function of art is to challenge your understanding of and attitudes towards life.  Based on those statements, then Ai Weiwei is definitely a successful contemporary artist.

Bata Shoe Museum - History of the Sneaker

The Bata Shoe Museum is currently featuring an exhibit on the History of the Sneaker.  First developed in the late 1800s for casual and athletic wear, and originally called plimsoles, these shoes soon given the nickname " sneakers" since the quiet rubber soles allowed for people to sneak up on each other.   Early examples of sneakers were on display as well as information on the evolution of the sneaker design and its cultural and social impacts over time.

One series of sneakers, mostly from the 1980-90s, highlighted the attempts to add technology to the shoes in order to improve functionality or performance.   There were shoes that tried to use pegs to provide more shock absorption or air pumps to make them lighter and more springy.  Another had built-in pedometers that measured pace, distance and calorie intake–sounds useful but looks bulky and uncomfortable.  Yet another shoe took this to the next level by adding a computer chip and what looked like the end of a remote control to the heel, allowing the information to be synched with early Apple computers.  The shoe even came with software on a floppy disk and an instruction manual. 

A very interesting video described the importance of both basketball and rap in the propulsion of the sneaker into cult status.  Although sneakers were designed for basketball as early as the 1920s, the fad really took off when superstar Michael Jordan signed a contract with Nike to wear shoes specially designed for him, dubbed  "Air Jordans".   Deemed illegal and non-conforming by the NBA, Jordan was fined $5000 each game for wearing the shoes.  The fine was more than gladly paid by Nike, since the controversy helped increase the popularity of the shoes and sales of them skyrocketed.  Other basketball stars followed with their own shoes as illustrated by the exhibit's inclusion of shoes from Patrick Ewing, Vince Carter, and Lebron James.

As sneakers became more of a style statement with America's youth, they would frequently change the colour of their laces to get a different look, since they could not afford multiple new pairs of shoes.  The influence of sneakers in the rap music culture was led largely by the group Run DMC, who took to wearing Adidas shoes without laces, as a tribute to prisoners who had their laces removed in jail so they could not hang themselves.

The highlight of the exhibit was the collection of rare and iconic shoes from the archives of various manufacturers.  Included were the shoes fashioned to resemble the designs of West Coast First Nation totem poles, ones inspired by socks worn by Russian astronauts, a hand-painted tribute to Heath Ledger as the Joker, and roller-boat shoes that had bright red soles and decorative gold spikes.

Who would have thought the lowly running shoe would have such a big impact on fashion, style and culture.  Free passes to the Bata Shoe Museum can be checked out from the Toronto Public Libraries.

Theatre: Fringe 2013

This year's Fringe Festival has been a very interesting experience, both in terms of the shows we saw, as well as some unexpected situations caused by the extreme rain storm that hit Toronto last week.  We were watching a play when the downpour started, and at one point, there was such a loud and disruptive roar of thunder that the actor actually ad-libbed a line in acknowledgement.  After the show, most of the audience were trapped by the unexpected deluge of rain and stood under the awning of the theatre for over 20 minutes before realizing that it was not about to subside any time soon.  That evening and the next day, multiple shows were cancelled due to power outages.  It is too bad that these events dampered the 25th anniversary of the Fringe Festival.

As with every year, picking Fringe shows to see is a bit of a gamble as you need to make your decision based on a very short synopsis.  Occasionally there are reviews or recommendations from previous runs of the show, but even then it is risky since we have found that we don't always agree with the ratings.  So as always, we picked some winners, some average shows and some we really didn't like at all.

My favourite show this year It's Always You: A Musical, but then I am always partial to musicals.  This show was unusual in that it featured a cast of well-known Canadian comedians including Sheila McCarthy (Little Mosque on a Prairie), Dan Redican (The Frantics, Kids in the Hall), and Shawn Thompson (Murdoch Mysteries).  It follows the lives of three friends, Elaine, Bill and Ted as shown through alternate realities.  In each reality, one of three possible pairings has occurred–either Elaine married Bill, Elaine married Ted, or she married neither, even though they both loved her.  Quick little sketch scenes depict their lives in each of these realities, with songs thrown in to emphasize the situations.  The comedic timing of these professionals were impeccable, as expected.  However, relatively unknown recent theatre graduate Madelaine Redican (any relation to Dan?) who had a small role playing the narrator/stage-hand actually stole the show with her charming, quirky and totally endearing performance.  Breaking the fourth wall, she talks directly to the audience to explain various plot points and admonishes the director for some of the sadder scenarios, championing for a happy ending.

Another highlight was the play I Hired A Contract Killer, based on a Finnish cult movie from 1990.  Depressed, Henri decides to kill himself but is unable to do it.  After several failed attempts, he decides to hire an assassin to do the job for him.  Shortly after the contract has been assigned, he meets and falls in love with a woman and no longer wants to die.  Unfortunately he is not able to contact the assassin to cancel the job.

What makes the play particularly unique and intriguing is the innovative staging.   The play simulates the watching of an old movie, with its use of hand held projectors and screens to show the movie's opening and closing credits.  A set of 8 supporting actors dressed in film-noir hats and trench coats take turns narrating the story, weaving around the stage and through the aisles in almost dance-like choreography. 

 Rather than using props and sets to represent the various scenes, the supporting cast physically contort and transform themselves into various set objects. This included the high beam that Henri tries to hang himself from, the gas oven where he unsuccessfully tries to asphixiate himself, and the taxi cab he rides en route to hire a contract killer.  All the sound effects are performed by the actors either via their voices or using "radio foley" techniques.

I watched clips of the original movie on YouTube after seeing the play and was really impressed by how closely the play followed both the plot, stylistic atmosphere and spirit of the movie. 

Assassinating Thomson was another unique experience that features Bruce Horak, who is legally blind, with only 9% vision in one eye, as a result of cancer tumours developed as a baby. In a totally personable, humorous and engaging manner, Horak describes his experiences growing up with his visual impairment, becoming an artist and actor.  He gives his impression of a "sighted man", explains the steps he took to learn to paint, tells of how he almost didn't get a role as an extra on the movie "Blindness" since he didn't act blind enough, and describes a touching last conversation with his dying father, who urged him to stop grieving what he had lost, but instead to celebrate the vision that still remains.

Given a commission to produce a historic perspective on Canadian artists, Horak started learning about Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven.   As the show continues, he begins to interweave his own personal stories with those of Thomson's, drawing many comparisons between their lives, including sharing the same birthday and similar interests in art, outdoors, camping, canoeing.

Horak then starts to divulge his research regarding various theories about Thomson's mysterious death in Algonquin Park's Canoe Lake in 1917, bringing up a range of possible suspects, including one man who coincidentally shared the same name as Horak's ex-girlfriend.  The theories and possible coverups ranged from plausible to outlandish and bizzare.

Throughout his delivery of an already engrossing monologue, he simultaneously attempted to "paint of portrait" of the audience, adding an extra dimension to the play.  As he spoke, he often peered into the crowd, as if to focus on various aspects of individuals and then returned to the canvas to "paint what he saw".  After a while, you forget that he can't actually see any of us.  At the end of the show, when he reviewed his creation, we were given insight into how Bruce Horak perceived us from that distance–as a mass of colours, lights and shadows.  It was interesting later to view his actual works including a collection called "The Way I See It - Paintings and Portraits".

The show that I wanted to see most, called The Musical of Musicals, was unfortunately cancelled by the rain storm and it was just about impossible to get into any subsequent showings due to the now pent-up demand.  It is a retelling of the story of Rent (we can't pay the rent), retold in parody multiple times in the musical styles of other iconic musicals such as Oklahoma, The King and I, Sweeney Todd, Hello Dolly, Evita, Chicago and Cabaret.

Luckily, at the end of the Fringe Festival, there is one last chance to see the "Patron's Pick" at each theatre.  At each main venue, an extra performance is held on the final evening of the festival, for the show that generated the most attendence and buzz.  The Musical of Musicals was selected as one of the Patron's Pick.  We've scored tickets for this and I am so excited.  I'm expecting this to become my new favourite show for this year's Fringe Festival.  In the words of Cole Porter's Anything Goes, as a lover of musicals, "Who could ask for anything more?!?!"

Luminato 2013 - Free Exhibits

Luminato is an annual festival of arts and culture with performances and talks in the fields of theatre, music, dance, visual arts, magic acts, puppet shows and literature, held in venues throughout downtown Toronto.  Many of the events are ticketed, ranging from $20 for an evening conversation series featuring topics such as Verdi vs Wagner and gala readings from Canadian authors, $25-35 for a puppet show by Ronnie Burkett, $25-65 for a Chinese opera directed by Atom Egoyan, up to $175 for the top priced ticket to hear artists including Rufus Wainwright, Glen Hansard from the musical and movie "Once", Esperanza Spalding, and Herbie Hancock paying tribute to Joni Mitchell in honour of her 70th birthday. 

However there are quite a few free events to enjoy daily as well.  The hub for the activities is at David Pecaut Square in the entertainment district.  Free concerts are held nightly as well as in the afternoon during the weekends with  artists and acts such as Serena Ryder, Maxi Priest, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Rosanne Cash.  The eclectic performances cover all genres of music including pop, hip hop, country, blues, jazz, and multiple cultures including a Kyiv-based quartet, Sahara Desert Blues guitarist, Caribbean group, a Beijing group that mixes reggae beats with traditional Chinese music, and a range of African rhythms, mixed with bluesy jazz, Afro-Cuban, and Afro-Latin sounds.

Free daily "Lunchtime Illumination" talks feature interesting conversations, sometimes between artists from various fields, including one between a scratch DJ, author/musician and a screen writer, and another where magicians compared their art to the culinary magic created by a molecular gastronomist.

On Monday, we listened to folk singer/songwriters Sylvia Tyson and Murray McLauchlan tell stories about their careers and experiences in the Yorkville music scene in the 1960s.  They both indicated that they struggled in Canada and were not recognized or appreciated in their home country until they first moved to New York City to make a name for themselves.  They interacted with other folk stars like Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Bruce Cockburn.  They described Yorkville in the 60s as a "counter-culture scene" where there were no silos between different musical styles–everyone was young and carefree, and hung out together, exchanging ideas and songs.

Tyson's signature song, written by and performed with her by then husband Ian, was "Four Strong Winds".  This was one of the first songs to describe Canadian climates and locations such as Alberta.  She wrote the smash #3 Billboard hit "You Were Always On My Mind" in five minutes, a feat her accountant has been trying to get her to replicate ever since.  Sylvia tells the story about being at the infamous Newport Folk Festival where legendary folk hero Bob Dylan was thought to have "sold out" the folk scene by "going electric".  She remembers it as being really loud and commented that it might not have sounded so bad if his band had only practiced more. 

McLauchlan's big song was called Farmer's Song, but he also wrote songs about Toronto including one called "Down by the Henry Moore" where he references Kensington Market, The Silver Dollar, The Palm Grove, and City Hall where he skates by the titular "Archer" Henry Moore sculpture.  Murray obviously had a crush (and probably still does) on Joni Mitchell as he mentioned her several times in the talk and praised her fine "assets" at length.  McLaughlan told an amusing story about having Patti Labelle as his opening act one evening in a small bar, which was packed with gay black men dressed in shiny silver mylar space suits, there to see Labelle sing her hits like Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi.  Murray was nervous to go on next with his folk-song act, since that was clearly not their scene, but Labelle reassured him that they would love him... and they did, since luckily they thought he and his bass player were cute!

Also on display in David Pecaut Square was an exhibit called Art in Motion.  Students from an art school worked with a local artist to paint a "moving mural" on a Kia Rondo car.  Kia is one of the major sponsors of Luminato so this is both art and product placement.

Stockpile in Brookfield Place is a performance art piece that recreates a live sized version of the common carnival game where you manipulate a claw using a joystick and try snag a prize.  Nine performance artists from across the country take turns sitting in the machine and acting as the human claw.  For a $2 fee which goes to charity, you use a joystick to position and lower the claw to hover over your object of desire.  After the artist grasps the object, you maneuver him towards a slot to drop the prize into.  If you are successful, you claim the prize.  If he drops it before the destination, you get a souvenir "LOSER" certificate.  The over 1500 items of toys and common household items were solicited as donations from the local community.

For me, the highlight of the free Luminato events is the exhibit at the ROM Spirit House.  Thirty-one "Victorian-inspired" porcelain dolls of around 18 inches tall, dressed in haut-culture outfits created by Amsterdam designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, are positioned on a specially designed catwalk.  Each doll's eyes, makeup and hair were carefully recreated to replicate the live model who originally wore the outfit, and the clothing and accessories were shrunk precisely to scale.  I found it interesting and refreshing that these dolls were not "Barbie-esque" or even shaped like the typical rail-thin model figures. 

Most of the fashions were avant-garde and outrageous, as wont to be seen on European catwalks, and not likely to be worn by normal people out on the streets.  There was the dress that seemed to be stuffed with balloons, the aquatic scuba suit with black seaweed, the Frida Khalo-esque flowery dress, the pant suit with such big ruffles that it looked like the doll had a fake beard,  and the Harlequin clown suit.  A couple of the dolls were attached to metal rods that held up the pleats of the outfit and had spotlights attached.  It was not clear whether this was just to show off the doll, or whether the poor live model actually had to walk down the aisles in this manner.

There were several beautiful but simpler designs the average person could have pulled off.  I particularly liked the one outfit that looked like a casual/chic blouse and pants assemble from the front, but sported an elegant ivory cape that gave off a totally different, elegant vibe from the back.  There were so many details on each doll to pay attention to, including the hairstyles, the footwear, jewelry, veils, and other accessories that accompanied each outfit,that it required several passes from various angles to see it all. 

This was a very unique opportunity to get so up close and personal to gorgeous high-end designs, and the closest that I will probably ever get to experiencing a Paris fashion show.  This exhibit will be on display until June 30, so there's still time to go see it!

Doors Open 2013

The end of May marked another year of Door's Open in Toronto,  As usual, there were so many interesting options to choose from.  We went full throttle on both days of the weekend and visited the following locations:

The Dineen Building on 140 Yonge St at Temperance was built in 1897 and became the office, workshop and showroom of the W.&F. Dineen Company, which sold hats and furs.  Now a heritage site, the building has been restored to its former glory, featuring original brickwork, wrought-iron Juliette balconies and fencing, pillars topped with ornate crown molding imprinted with a golden "D" for Dineen, and the company directories showing the last occupants of the building. The highlights of the tour were the beautiful J&J Taylor safe standing in the front lobby and the embedded wall vaults in the upper floors, which were used to store expensive furs.  One of the vaults is still locked and will require a professional locksmith and representation from the proper historical societies before it can be opened.  There are stories of a 1910 bank robbery where the robbers may have hidden out in the Dineen building and possibly stashed some loot in the vaults.  So far, nothing has been found but who knows what might be in this last vault!

Today, the upper floors of the Dineen building are used as temporary and permanent office space available for rent.  The ground floor houses the gorgeously decorated Dineen Coffee shop with tall ceilings, the same pillars as found in the lobby, deep red leather banquette seating, marble counter tops, patterned flooring, and an antique iron stove still imbedded in the brick wall.  Also opening by summer will be the Chase Fish and Oyster restaurant which will include a large upstairs patio overlooking the city.

The impressive collection of Inuit art on permanent display in the TD Gallery at 79 Wellington Ave. has been accumulated starting in the 1960s, at the behest of Allen Lambert, then president and chairman of the TD Bank.  The tour guide pointed out one of the sculptures that reminded him of Che Guevara wearing his iconic beret.  A poignant piece called "The Migration" by Joe Talirunili conveys the true story of his family of 40 adults and children, once trapped in their sleds on an ice floe that drifted away and started to melt.  They used whatever materials they had on the sleds to build a boat and escaped.  His works will soon be on display at the AGO.  One of the most recent acquisitions from 1987 depicts a starving Ethiopian and contrasts his plight to that of the Inuit.  My personal favourite piece is a seal's head made from whale bone.

A new condo tower called Massey Towers will be built on Yonge Street across from the Eaton Centre.  It was formerly the site of a CIBC branch built in the early 1900s in a classic Beaux-Arts style.  Luckily the original building has been deemed a heritage site and will therefore will be restored and used as the entrance and lobby of the condo.  The majestic portico with its thick columns and triangular peaked roof will remain as the facade with a tall tower rising behind it.  Once it is complete, the lobby for the condo will be magnificent with tall ceilings, ornate wood finishing and decorative ironwork, mosaic flooring, marble staircase, funky chandeliers, and original bronze friezes restored.

Once inside, rather than the historic tour of the original building that we were hoping for, we were bombarded by salesmen, floor plans and a model suite for the new condo.  The prices ranged from low $300K to just under $900K and from 377 square feet to 1085.  Parking spots were only available to the small percentage of larger units over 800 square feet and cost $69,000!  The salesman tried to impress us with the "automatic parking" feature where you drive your car into an elevator and it would automatically take you to your parking spot.  This sounded very cool initially but could become a big bottleneck and a bigger pain if the elevator ever broke down.  We noticed that while the building is touted as a "luxury" condo, the amenities did not reflect this.  The flooring was laminate instead of hardwood, the bathroom offered porcelain tile instead of marble and the kitchen  was "European-styled"  (marketing-speak for tiny appliances and sink).

Guildwood Park sits on 88 acres of land on the edge of the Scarborough Bluffs and can be considered the "home of abandoned architectural treasures".  Now a public park, it was originally purchased in 1932 by Spencer and Rosa Clark, who created the "Guild of All Arts", providing free studio space and accommodations for artists to stay at while pursuing their crafts.  One of Spencer's major passions was the preservation of heritage sites.  He was instrumental in saving the Old City Hall from destruction.  For those buildings that he was not able to save, such as many of the big banks in the Financial District that were torn down to make way for current office towers, he started collecting architectural components such as stone carvings and reliefs, columns, capitals, and other facade elements.  Pieces from banks, insurance companies, the Granite building, Toronto Star building, Imperial Oil Building and more, sit scattered across the lands of the park alongside sculptures that the Clarks collected throughout the years.

Overlooking the sculpture garden is the Guild Inn, a 33-room Arts and Crafts manor house that was once the home of the Clarks as well as a hotel and museum.  Unfortunately it has fallen into such disrepair that it will probably need to be torn down.  During the WWII, this mansion was used by the Womens' Royal Naval Service as a training base for female code-breakers.  Following the war, it was used as a veteran's hospital before being returned to the Clarks.

Spencer commissioned the construction of an amphitheatre, using Corinthian columns that he saved from the Bank of Canada building.  The outdoor theatre is still used today, with the Guild Festival Theatre group performing The Misanthrope later this summer.  Also on the site is at the Osterhout log cabin, built in 1795, during the time that John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, was having the lands surveyed.

 In 1850s, Joe Williams bought a 20.7 acre farm in what is now known as the Beach area.  He created a large park as a tourist attraction on the waterfront, naming it Kew Gardens after the park in London.  His son, who he also named Kew, went on to build Kew Cottage as a honeymoon home for his new wife.  The cute little cottage has a round turret tower in front, a wrap-around veranda and is built in the Queen Anne Revival style.  The tour guide said it was shaped like a ship, but I couldn't really see that.

Historic photos were on display inside the house, showing the Williams family in their home and photos of the surrounding area.  The tour guide then took us for a walk, looking at some of the other cottages in the neighbourhood as well as describing the history of the Beach area (including the big debate about whether it should be named the Beach or Beaches).

Textile Museum - Shine & To Marimekko With Love

The highlight of the current exhibits showing at the Textile Museum is the art piece called "The Last Supper".  Part of an exhibit called Shine, which focuses on shiny materials in clothing and art, this work is bright, colourful, whimsical and yet ironic, intelligent and full of social commentary and critique about consumerism, waste, and mass-marketing.

Depicting numerous examples of North American "junk food", the title "The Last Supper" morphs beyond its traditional religious connotation to take on a literal one–that this food is detrimental to the health and could literally be your last supper if you keep eating it.  Strips of recycled materials from shiny pop and beer cans were weaved together to form these images, making the work self-referential, since the material used to make the work to reflects the subject matter. 

Other shiny fabrics included gold metal threads found in Japanese kimonos and Indian silks, reflective mirrors and glass buttons in Pakistan wedding attire and a court robe from China which featured what looks like Nazi swastikas, but are actually ancient Buddhist symbols of good fortune.

The work called "Music of Chance" used a single roll of aluminum foil to make molds of hundreds of common-place silver-coloured objects including kitchen utensils, musical instruments, jewelry boxes, picture frames, etc.  The result is a single thirty-foot "chain bracelet" created using one continuous sheet of aluminum foil.

The second exhibit featured works from the Finnish company Marimekko and its designer Armi Rati, who brought bright, bold printed patterns to North America that was popular in the psychedelic 60s.  You picture girls in short dresses and long go-go boots when you see these patterns.

The Textile Museum of Canada
55 Centre Ave (near City Hall)

AGO - Lost in the Memory Palace

The AGO is currently hosting a fascinating set of works by artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller  that incorporate music, sound, video, sculpture, robotics, lighting and other special effects.  "Lost in the Memory Palace" consists of a series of eight rooms, each containing a playful installation that stimulates your eyes, ears and brain and often blurs the lines between reality and fiction.

My favourite installation is titled "The Muriel Lake Incident".  Looking into a wooden box, you see a miniature movie theatre screening a film, whose audio you hear through a headphones.  But what you hear is more than just the music and dialogue from the movie, but also the whispered conversation of "the couple sitting in front of you in the theatre."  As you hear them coughing, rustling, passing and crunching on popcorn, and discussing plot points, and where they will meet up later, you feel like shushing them and are instantly transported into the scene, in the seat behind them.  The movie has a mysterious air and you anticipate that one of the characters may get shot.  The surprise ending further blurs the lines between what happens in the screened movie you are watching versus the "meta-show" that you are participating in.

Another voyeuristic experience called "Road Trip" involves sitting in a small room watching mundane images projected from an old fashioned slide projector while listening to an audio commentary.  The conversation is so natural and intimate that you feel like you are spying on two family members as they view and discuss a slide show of their grandfather's road trip across Canada.  The timing of the slides to the pre-taped dialogue was really impressive, as the discussion led to fast forwarding through a bunch of slides, reversing to look at a past one again, and even pausing to take out and reorder some slides (causing the screen to go blank for several seconds).  Just like the previous exhibit, you are made to believe that you are actually in the room with these people.  The slides actually did belong to George Bures Miller's grandfather.

With the press of the proverbial big red button, "The Killing Machine" fires up a contraption that is a strange cross between a robotic ballet and torture chamber.  A megaphone speaker and two robotic arms attached to a spot light and a dental drill dance, preen and poke at a fuzzy pink dental chair with a spike-covered leather strap, while accompanied by eerie music.  You can easily envision the poor soul trapped in this chair as it rises and reclines to meet the instruments of torture.  A disco ball overhead shines multicolored lights and reflects shadows on the wall that mirror the dance and are equally spell-binding to watch.

The "Storm Room" simulates the experience of watching from within as a storm approaches and magnifies in intensity.  Rain pelts the windows and the roof starts to leak, with water dribbling into waiting buckets.  Flashes of lighting streak across the shaking windows as the thunder rumbles, causing the florescent lights to flicker.

A motet is a choral composition of individuals singing simultaneous but relatively independent melodic lines.  For the "Forty-Part Motet" installation, Cardiff commissioned eight choirs, of five members each, to sing the forty parts of the motet Spem in Alium by Thomas Tallis (1593).  Eight groupings of five speakers were then positioned in an oval within the Henry Moore sculpture gallery, with each speaker projecting one of the recorded voices.  If you walk up to a grouping of speakers, you can clearly hear the individual voice in each one.  Sitting in the middle of the oval results in an angelic concert in surround sound, made all the more poignant while viewing the beautiful Moore sculptures.

The other three installations are equally interesting.  The uniquely interactive, "performance-art" experiences of this exhibit are so much fun and not to be missed.

AGO - Revealing the Early Renaissance and Other Exhibits

Being neither religious nor a fan of religious art, I tried to appreciate the AGO's new exhibit "Revealing the Early Renaissance" more from a historic perspective than an artistic or spiritual one.  The audio guide, wall plaques and members' talk helped to put the pieces in context and explain their significance relative to previous religious works from the Medieval times.

We learned how the wealthy Florentinians of the 1300s commissioned religious art as a way to assuage their guilt over the prosperity that they were experiencing, and perhaps to show off their wealth a bit as well.  This new source of funding for works that previously were mainly paid for by the Church, led to changes in the artistic endeavours in terms of both style and subject matter.

Compared to the preceding Medieval period with its formal, ritualized portrayals of religious icons, the art took on a more expressive, realistic style, depicting figures in proper human scale and perspective.  The "Peruzzi Altarpiece" by Giotto di Bondone provided a good example of this.  The four panels on the left including paintings of Saint John, Mary Magdalene, Jesus and Saint John the Baptiste seem stiff and wooden compared to the more subtle, pensive depiction of Saint Francis on the far right.  The theory is that only Saint Francis was actually created by Giotto di Bondone, while the other figures were done by his apprentices who still used the old Medieval techniques.

A hinged panel triptych by Bernado Daddi reveals the Virgin Mary stretching her hand down beyond the heavenly realm into the earthly realm.  This depiction of "human" interaction was unusual prior to this period.  Many beautifully illuminated manuscripts were also on display with colourful scenes, initials and symbols either imbedded within the text or drawn along the borders.  There were also several striking examples of stained glass by Pacinodi Bonaguida.


The subject matter of the Florentine Renaissance art started to stray from religious imagery to include the day to day lives of merchants, tradespeople and artisans.  The very first artifact on display in the exhibit was a grain merchant's ledger which he had illuminated as a way of leaving a legacy of his life's work.

It was a bit startling to see extremely graphic and gruesome renderings of the crucifixion of Jesus with blood gushing out of his wounds, or the martrydom of various saints including the beheading of Saint James the Greater and the burning on hot coals of Saint Lawrence.

Patti Smith's "Camera Solo" exhibit focuses mainly on very personal, black and white photos that she took over the years.  Many of them are of objects that she either collected or wanted to remember, and are accompanied by a written description explaining their significance.  These include images of two pairs of slippers, one belonging to her partner Robert Maplethorpe and the other to Pope Benedict VX, her father's teacup, and artist Frida Khalo's dress.  In some cases, the actual artifacts were on display next to the photos.

Smith is probably better known as a singer-songwriter.  In the first room of the exhibit, a tablet was set up to play her top 10 songs as voted by fans on Facebook.  I had only heard of two of them before–"Because the Night", which she wrote and performed with Bruce Springsteen, and "Gloria" (G-L-O-R-I-A),  although I only knew the original version by the group "Them".  I was impressed by her cover version which had deeper, poetic lyrics invoking religious imagery, and a punk sound.  In general, I really like her deep smokey voice and enjoyed all the chosen songs in this list.  I spent quite a bit of time listening to the songs on headphones while browsing through Smith's books of poetry.

The first time we encountered Kim Adams' art was at the Hamilton Art Gallery where his Bruegel-Bosch Bus is installed.  This is a 1960 Volkswagen bus that is covered with vintage toys, models and figurines.  The installation currently displaying at the AGO, called Artist Colony (Gardens), continues with his usage of miniatures.  He constructs a mini world filled with scenes from both urban and country life, with a focus on food production.  The details are fascinating to see and include humourous vignettes such as a man coming out of an outhouse while his fellow camper is trapped up a tree by bears, people enjoying the beach or outdoor patios, culprits being arrested while reporters photograph the takedown, farmers picking crops and tending to live stock.

We stumbled upon a collection of art from the Netherlands that I found quite intriguing.  One painting of a winter scene of villagers playing on an ice pond was reminiscent of a Cornelius Krieghoff painting, except for the 17th century Dutch clothing that they wore, and windmills in the background.  Another depiction of nine dutch proverbs by Pieter the Younger Brughel had us trying to guess what the sayings were, based on the diagrams.  I found a few of them later on the internet, including "Filling the Well After the Calf Has Drowned", or in other words, "Too Little Too Late".  Finally, I was mesmerized by the painting of a woman holding a skull in her hand.  The lighting effect on her face was stunning to behold.  As so often happens, I found myself enjoying these unexpected, unadvertised finds within the gallery as much as I do the big blockbusters exhibitions.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra Plays James Bond

We do not often frequent the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO), since I can only appreciate classical music in small doses.  Sitting through an entire concert of this would probably put me to sleep.  Every once in a while, the TSO selects music with a contemporary theme that I can recognize and enjoy.  A few years ago, we listened to them play songs from the Swedish group ABBA.  Today, we attended an excellent performance based mainly on music from the James Bond movies.  Following the iconic main Bond theme,  memorable songs spanning the entire movie cannon were covered, ranging from the first theme song "To Russia With Love" through the most recent Oscar-winning song "Skyfall".

The dynamic, personable conductor John Morris Russell humorously introduced each piece, proferring quips about his opinion of the various Bonds (Sean Connery - yeah! Roger Moore - meh...) and movies.  Dressed in a Bond-like black tuxedo, Russell's voice and mannerisms reminded me of comedian Drew Carey.  His banter put the audience at ease and really added to the experience.

Broadway performers Ron Bohmer and Capathia Jenkins provided the male and female vocals for the songs.  While Bohmer was good in his renditions of Thunderball (channeling Tom Jones), "From Russia With Love, Live and Let Die and You Know My Name", it was Jenkins who brought the house down with her power ballads.

Jenkins was stellar as she belted out tune after tune including "For Your Eyes Only, Tomorrow Never Dies, Surrender, Diamonds Are Forever, Skyfall, License to Kill, and The Look of Love.  The final "The Spy Who Loved Me" suite  was a tribute to recently deceased Marvin Hamlisch who wrote the score.  Prior to singing the associated theme song "Nobody Does it Better", Jenkins reminisced about how Hamlisch used to take his cast out to dinner after a show and would order one of every single dessert on the menu so that everyone could share.  During an interlude in one of her songs, while the orchestra played, Jenkins and conductor Russell shared a sweet little dance.

Each vocalist changed costumes about 4-5 times with Bohmer  appearing in everything from tuxedos to jeans, while Jenkins came out in an array of beautiful gowns.

At the beginning of the second half,  a series of spy-genre related theme songs were performed by the symphony including "Mission Impossible, The Avengers, Pink Panther, Shaft and the Peter Gunn Theme".  From our vantage point, the silver-haired saxophone soloist, who was featured in several of these pieces, bore a strong resemblance to Bill Clinton.

Although our seats were way off to the side, we were not very high up and therefore had a good view of two-thirds of the orchestra including the harpist and secondary percussionists who handled the tambourine, triangle, gong and some shaky instrument that sounded like a maraca.  I found myself comparing their relatively minor roles to that of the violinists, who played constantly and vigorously for two hours, and wondered if the musicians were paid based on number of notes played.

 Listening to this beautiful music made me wish that I was even slightly musically inclined.  Maybe if I practised really hard, one day I might be able to handle that triangle.