ICONOCLASH : Night of Awe Dance Party, 2007

By: Melissa Shiff

At first I wondered, why all of these people were standing around. I made my way to the front of the crowd to see that they were all looking at a movie screen that was playing a video of a party. I then looked to my right to see that some of these people were right here in front of me dancing against a white screen and being projected live onto a screen with a background filled with party goers.
I like this exhibit because the audience was able to participate and become part of the art. Also I like the idea behind the whole piece. After reading about it I found out that it is based on the crux of Iconoclash. Iconoclash has to do with the story of Moses ending the ‘party’ after seeing the calf, but in Judaism and Hinduism the cow is seen as sacred. The idea is that the party is a connection between all three religions and that the audience can become part of this Iconoclash is very appealing to me.

Crop

By: Andrew Waite located at the Prime Gallery.

When I first approached this exhibit I was not sure what I was looking at. The glare from the aluminum and looking too closely at the image kept me from seeing what it was at first. Then I stepped back and focused on the picture as a whole and realized that it was a corn field. I was amazed at the image in front of me because it was a simple corn field but because of the aluminum foil and the display of it, the image appeared to be more complex and full with meaning.
The artist was inspired to create this exhibit because he grew up in rural Ontario and used aluminum foil because at the time he was in Italy and it was the only material he could get his hands on. After reading about this display I learned a lot more about corn and corn as a commodity in the market. It is the largest grain grown in the world and is traded more then rice. This makes it a valuable product thus leading to controversy. As I read, the problems raised over corn include higher land prices, and increased prices for grain.
The crops were life sized, and the foil texture reflected the texture that corn could reach during harvest times. When I looked closely at a single piece the detail was great.
Other issues raised with corn include genetically engineered corn and its effects on humans and wildlife, there are some links that discuss this more in the right column.

Ontario College of Art & Design : Group exhibition

Untitled Work By: Rirkrit Tiravanija
When I first walked into the room where this was placed I though to myself, did I walk into a behind the scenes room. Then a group of people caught my eye at the back of the room. I walked over and saw a brick wall with a whole in it. I was eager to peer in and see what a waiting was. I did and was disappointed when I saw a white wall with an OSAP notice posted on it LOL! I thought. Then to the right I was a scribble on the wall that said “this is not art”. Weather or not that was part of the exhibition it was hilarious.
I took a step back and tried to take it all in and find a deeper meaning.
I noticed that people were entering the room and walking straight to the wall and peering in through the hole as I did. This was the artists’ way of getting the audience to interact and become involved with the work. The artist is known for audience participation and he took the gallery itself and turned it into a space where interaction between art and the audience could take place.

CN Tower

Wonderful Nuit - Taking Art to New Heights

On the night of Nuit Blanche, the CN Tower was displayed with beautiful colours. It was a wonderful sight. I remember walking out of the underground parking lot and the first thing I saw was the CN Tower lite up in red lights. It's nice to see Toronto decorated so nicely. It to me was the focus of the night . Pretty much everywhere I went I was able to see the CN Tower and I was constantly reminded that I was at an all night art thing!

Midnight Mirage, 2007

By: Vanessa Perunovich, located at the Anne Tanebaum Gallery School.

My first reaction to this exhibition, before reading the description was it looks a lot like the last supper, and of course when I read the description I found out I was right. Initially shocked at the idea that this artist and these by passers were willing to pose as Jesus and his disciples, but as I watched it drew me in. I watched one woman dressed in multi colors and a gigantic hat, walk into the exhibit slip into the white coat and become one with the picture that I was seeing. I was really amused at this point. I observed this particular piece for a while.
I really liked this exhibit because the audience was able to become a part of the picture and it encouraged social interaction between the audience and the artist. It was also a very good display of consumption, and how consumption and social interaction relate to each other. The artist served a Serbian bread and bean dish which was supposed to suggest cultural and social exchange. I think the artist accomplished this, because culture was strongly represented by the duplication of the last supper and social exchange was represented by the audience becoming part of the image and interacting with one another within the image.

Beaver Hall

(Gallery)
The pieces in this gallery ranged in form, structure and appearance. They did not follow the same themes or use the same methods for creations. Some were photographs, some were painted others were put together with various objects. My favorite pieces were the pieces that were composed with other objects. There was one that included a speaker, a cigar, a blue wig and a painting on it that I found fascinating. While I was in the gallery there was a blues band performing which added to the atmosphere. It was a new experience for me and I really enjoyed it. I was able to take my time and look at each piece and absorb them. One thing I also found interesting is that the gallery is located on McCaul St. and some of the photos in the gallery were taken on McCaul St. The photos showed McCaul in winter and under different conditions.



(Photo projections)
As I left the Beaver Gallery I noticed images being projected on the sidewalk. They were difficult to make out and I could not see them from all angels. I did however manage to see a few of the images that were being projected. I also noticed the projector on top of the building flashing the images down. The images were brightly colored but I was not too sure what I was looking at.