ABOUT THE EVENT
SEE DETAILED SCHEDULE FOR EXACT START TIMES
“Depth” by Nathalie Coutou
Resilience: Thursday November 3, 6pm – 9pm
Looking back, we’ve been strong and have endured many changes and some of us have endured a lot of heartache and loss. We are here now. This is resilience. For this evening of celebration, we look to the artists and the stories that speak to resilience.
In the main hall, artist Nathalie Coutou, owner of Khewa Indigenous Art Boutique in Wakefield, launches the event with a presentation on resilience. For the past 20 years, Khewa has remained faithful to its mission in promoting artwork from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people within the cultural industry. Khewa sits in the heart of Wakefield and the fact that it has been there, emanating this beautiful vision for two decades in this village, is a testament. It is this aspect of the Khewa story that inspired the event to begin with a story from Nathalie Coutou, on resilience.
Following this, the hall becomes a projection mapping space featuring some of Nathalie’s artworks. The accompanying sounds are created by Anouk Michelle Grégoire, a vocalist and sound therapist who brings her knowledge of sound and healing to Nathalie’s artworks. Wander through the space and just be.
In two, twenty-minute presentations, we celebrate resilience and the life stories that exemplify that: Wakefield’s Ilse Turnsen and Chelsea’s Rita Jain. Their stories, captured during the pandemic, highlight the essence of ‘resilience’ as one of the qualities that come from this challenging time.
Seekers: Friday November 4, 6pm – 9pm
Challenging times often inspire people to re-evaluate all aspect of their lives. This can lead to a deep process of seeking and questioning… everything. For this evening of celebration, we look to the artists and stories that speak to the seekers amongst us. This evening reflects that spirit in that it is a bit chaotic, likely rebellious, and there are many ‘unknowns’ throughout the evening.
We begin the evening with a short presentation of visuals and sounds by the duo Triple7.
Shortly after, we premiere the new video of the song by local band Frozen Grapes (Jeffrey Ferguson and Chris Hopkins) “HyperIndividualism”, featuring puppets by Vanessa Passmore and Michael Kinghorn and video by STO Union. A song of rebellion for our times.
In two, twenty-minute presentations, we celebrate seekers and the life stories that exemplify that: Wakefield’s Randolph MacMillan and Masham’s James Wearne. In completely different ways, these two stories exemplify the seeking spirit: at times rebellious and at times deeply curious, this quality of ‘seeking’ is one of the qualities that has come forward during this challenging time. Celebrating them with song will be musician Mathew Falvai.
After this, in the main hall, artists Jewely Gee and Second Sight, also known as the duo Triple7, will present music, spoken word, beats, projections and more.
Seekers and their stories can sometimes challenge all of us to ask of ourselves ‘what matters’. But what matters to one person may not matter to another. As organizers of the Out Loud event, we don’t know what Second Sight and Jewely are going to present tonight. No clue. We don’t know what their show is going to be and we don’t know if we will agree with their spoken words. And this is exactly the right spirit to approach a night dedicated to Seekers. There’s got to be some ‘unknown’ for the spirit of seeking to exist. And the fun is, we get to find out together. And bonus…they will be serving Cacao from Presence Cacao.
DAY TWO: SEEKERS
Art by Triple7
DAY THREE: COMMUNITY
Art by Stephanie Hill
Community: Saturday, November 5, 6pm – 9pm
If anything, the pandemic forced us all to re-evaluate who our ‘community’ is. Some of us experienced incredible solitude. Some became closer than ever to their loved ones. Some ended relationships. The pandemic put in highlight the need for and the struggle with community and the need to belong to one.
In the main hall, artist Stephanie Hill’s artwork is a celebration of details that, put together, create a whole that tells a story. Community is like that too, a celebration of differences that together, share in the making of larger collective stories. Stephanie’s art is projected into the space and it is joined by musician Eve Parker Finley, whose previous collaboration with Stephanie, an animatic called Still Water, highlights the essence of longing for a feeling of home, or to be able to be your most authentic self.
In two, twenty-minute presentations, we celebrate community and the life stories that have been most touched by its power. Wakefield’s Ruth Salmon and Hull’s Renée Richard navigated the pandemic and its various lockdowns alone and community became all that more important. Community, and all of its challenges, is one of the most significant aspects of life that the pandemic brought to light.
Change: Sunday, November 6,
1 pm – 4pm
Who would have thought? So much has changed! Many people and businesses continue to try and adapt to the sometimes cataclysmic changes that the pandemic situation brought on. To live life is to accept change – but sometimes accepting change can be challenging, especially when it is thrust upon us.
In the main hall, artist Hannah Ranger’s artwork is a celebration of the incredible imaginary world of fibre. Like walking through new worlds, close ups of the details of her work are projected large onto the screen. They force our imaginations to take over, just as change forces us to re-imagine our world. Joining her is musician Claire Bestland, who did all of the music for the Out Loud videos for this entire event. Claire brings a depth of feeling to the sound experience that epitomizes chilling out. Together, the experience is both calm and filled with imagination, bringing us to new possibilities and… change.
In two, thirty-minute presentations, we celebrate change and the life stories that exemplify it. Ottawa’s Ingrid Snydal and Hélène Debanné Labiche saw the school system change drastically, one from a teacher’s perspective, the other from a student’s. Wakefield’s Kerry Hodgins and Agnes Krischel saw their job’s change, one from the view of an employer, the other from the point of view of an employee. Change is an experience that we all share and becoming comfortable with it helps us appreciate every moment more.
DAY FOUR: CHANGE
Art by Hannah Ranger
In the Studio
Thursday, Nov. 3, and Friday, Nov. 4, 6 pm – 9 pm
The stories we tell and hear define our futures. Come play with artist cj fleury and a room full of art materials and create new narratives.
Saturday, Nov. 5, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm and Sunday, Nov. 6, 1 – 4 pm
Spirit beading: an invitation with Iris Kiewiet, Destini Broom, Ginnifer Menominee. This beading workshop provides the space for connection, exploration and engagement, both with community towards a common art piece, and within oneself towards a small project to take home. Joining for the full workshop is encouraged. Stepping in for brief participation is welcome too.
In the Lobby
Ongoing
Share your thoughts anonymously with the Artificial Intelligence program team at UKAI projects and create art together
Online all week
Online access to all 14 Out Loud videos during week of event
Go to https://stounion.com/out-loud-videos/
