Art

[Wooster]

Fringe takes off at last
Calgary Herald
Published: Tuesday, August 12, 2008

One successful Calgary Fringe Festival may not be be a cultural revolution, but it's still worth a hurrah. It was good for new artists, brought trade to Inglewood merchants, and was 10 rich days of entertainment for theatre lovers.

This year's success came after several false takeoffs. While Edmonton's Fringe has been popular for decades, makeshift theatres remained dark in Calgary until 2000, when Loose Moose Theatre launched a scaled-down version at Inglewood's Garry Theatre. It failed to launch.

It was revived in 2006 at the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts, but was too corporate. This year's relaunch back in Inglewood better captured the essence of neighbourhood festivals. With 25 plays on five makeshift stages, all within a four-block radius, young artists and hundreds of patrons mingled with local residents and people from across the city.

Surprisingly, some of the latter had never been to Inglewood. Local restaurants, shops and pubs were ecstatic about the business the Fringe brought to their doors, introducing new people to an old, re-emerging neighbourhood.

Artists too, find it hard to afford living in Calgary after college graduation. The Fringe is therefore an important opportunity for them, in which they get to perform -- and keep 100 per cent of the profits.

True, more people probably attended the Tom Petty concert at the Saddledome Monday night than the Fringe's total attendance of about 10,000 people.

Still, the small theatres were full, and the neighbourhood was bustling. It was good to see, and more would be better.


© The Calgary Herald 2008

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/...8-78e6cdb6046d

[Calgarian]

Any word on whether or not that church art piece was ever put up in Calgary?

[Bigtime]

I'm guessing it is here, but they haven't come up with a place to put it yet.

[Wooster]

City prepares to loosen reins on downtown street buskers
Richard Cuthbertson, Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, August 15, 2008

The reins restricting buskers will be loosened next week as a pilot project begins urging performers to take to Calgary streets.

Beginning Wednesday, buskers will be able to sing, dance and juggle downtown without being restricted to two designated "busk stops" or having to obtain permits.

"There's no fee, there's no permit, there's no ticket, there's no policy," said Beth Gignac, the city's manager of arts and culture. "What we're doing is asking buskers to follow three simple rules."

Those rules are: no juggling sharp objects or anything flammable or on fire; no amplifiers; and no staying in one spot for longer than an hour.

"If it's a good spot for you, it'll be a good spot for another busker, and let's share the wealth," Gignac said.

The project, to last six months, will be launched Wednesday and Thursday with buskers being showcased at Olympic Plaza. That event will also be a forum, Gignac said, to encourage dialogue between buskers, the city and downtown agencies.

Pulling the restrictions is good news for street performers, said Karen Sim, a busker who is a violinist and singer.

"It gives us the opportunity to branch out and use all of Calgary as a showcase for Calgary talent," she said. "That, in of itself, makes the Calgary downtown core accessible to a more family-oriented audience."

Sim has been busking for about 10 years. She can't remember a time when there weren't restrictions.

"There's a full spectrum of what constitutes street performance and street culture," Sim said. "I think it's important to make that distinction between the culture of performance in Calgary and the bad reputation that busking has received in the past in so far as it's another form of begging or solicitation."

Gignac said that from her understanding, busking was originally banned over concerns people weren't really performing, but instead panhandling.

"There was, I think, some misunderstandings in terms of what it meant to be a busker," she said. "One of the things that we've done is we've provided ourselves with a lot of education opportunities, and we understand, I think, a little more clearly what it is that a busker is, and what in fact they can do."

rcuthbertson@theherald.canwest.com

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/...7-0e03d3625f9e

[jeffwhit]

^^This is good news. I know literally dozens of people who would busk but certainly can't be bothered to attain a stupid permit to do so, since they're not really wanting to do it for the money

I suppose no one will be upset if I steal the "Busk Stop Rules and Conditions" sign from the "Busk Stops" in Eau Claire and Olympic Plaza. If you haven't taken the time to notice these, please do, they embody everything that is wrong and disappointing about Calgary.

[O-tacular]

Know I joined in late on the discussion, but that sculpture of the 2 bears is awful! Really, it exemplifies this city's lack of class and fear of innovation. As a province that prides itself on an entrepreneurial spirit and boundary pushing work ethic we really have no clue when it comes to the arts.

I just arrived back home yesterday from Montreal and was embarassed once I saw the tacky panorama style tourist adverts by the baggage claim. (Manakins dressed in historical attire / horse and wagons / cowboys and indians / cheesy animal sculptures).

It seems like the people who fund the arts development here are the accountants and CEO's who only view things from the bottom line (ex: the changes to the Bow to add extra office space). Art is seen as needing to fulfill a function to justify itself. And it seems as though what is most often chosen is the work that is the most status quo, and least likely to offend anyone.

The fact that Ald. Druh Farrell approves of the beaqr sculpture disappoints me because I thought she at least had more of a clue.

[O-tacular]

Now that my rant is complete I would like to say though, that I love the new Arriva sculpture by Micah. Torode is one of the few in this city with a good head on his shoulders.

Hopefully that new Jaume Plensa sculpture turns out alright and isn't edited down to the most palatable form for the masses.

[Wooster]

Buskers complain pilot project falls short on easing restrictions
City monitors response to revamped rules
Tamara Gignac, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, August 21, 2008

On the first day of a pilot project to ease restrictions for downtown buskers, some local jugglers, musicians and mimes say they still face too many rules compared to street entertainers in other major cities.

Buskers, beginning Wednesday, could perform on sidewalks from the Beltline to Prince's Island Park and 14th Street S.W. to City Hall without being limited to designated "busk stops" or having to obtain permits.

The only rules are no juggling dangerous or flammable objects, no amplifiers and performers are not allowed to stay in one spot for longer than an hour.

Janet Jessiman of the Downtown Calgary Association called the project -- slated to run for six months -- a boost to the city's culture and arts community.

"Buskers bring life and entertainment to the people. We've started a new trend with no licences . . . let's keep things going that way," she said, speaking Wednesday with buskers at a public forum at Olympic Plaza.

But some -- like fire-eater Stephanie Norn, say the restrictions are still too rigid.

Norn, a professionally trained circus performer, vehemently agrees that rules should exist to prevent novice entertainers from handling dangerous objects like knives and swords on city streets. But she points to European cities, where qualified fire manipulators routinely busk for money in public venues.

"If we just set a blanket statement that says, 'No, you perform with fire, therefore you're not allowed,' then we are going to miss a richness and diversity of performers, the kind of thing that is a staple in other cities," said Norn.

Others at the forum raised questions about the no-amplification rule, which they say makes it difficult for musicians with acoustic guitars and other performers to be heard at larger venues such as Prince's Island Park.

Beth Gignac, the city's manager of arts and culture, said the pilot project is a work in progress, and feedback from buskers will be evaluated on a monthly basis.

As an example, she points to the amplification restriction, which some cities have dealt with by requiring performers to keep noise below an acceptable decibel. "We want to figure out if there's a way for us to have amplified sound and where those places could be," said Gignac.

"Because we've opened this up to the broader downtown, some people are saying they're OK with it, some people are saying they're not."

Karen Sim, a violinist and singer who has performed outdoors in Calgary for a decade, acknowledges the restrictions may not be perfect for everyone, but hopes the rules will evolve as people grow more accustomed to seeing performers on downtown streets.

"A lot of parallels have been drawn between busking and panhandling -- the idea that we're out to make a buck and don't really care how we do it," she said.

"But we're out here for myriad reasons. Calgary is our home and we have a chance to share what we do and who we are."

tgignac@theherald.canwest.com

© The Calgary Herald 2008

===============================

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/...5-673d521ac2e2

[davee930]

It seems like the city is setting these rules just because they can.

[bea]

Here's a good article on public art

http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-08-...t-burning-man/

[O-tacular]

I would love to see a work by David Cerny go up here.

Here's an example of his work:

[jeffwhit]

^^ Seems to be some sort of minimalist.

[defaultuser]

^i'm thinking john cage's 4'33" would be a perfect musical companion

[O-tacular]

Here's a proper photo of the David Cerny fountain I was trying to show before. It's called metalmorphosis and it kinda has the same idea as that cool proposed dynamic tower in Dubai.



He's also done some cool giant babies.

[Wooster]

I like it.

The creepy babies climbing up that tower on the other hand...

[O-tacular]

Ah c'mon Josh! Those babies are brilliant! They transform that hideous soviet-era radio tower into something fantastical and surreal. The residents of Prague have excellent taste IMO.

[Wooster]

They're definitely interesting. They just creep me out, especially the faces.

Anyway, I'd welcome his work in Calgary.

[Bigtime]

I'm crossposting myself from the Calgary thread:

Landing in Calgary

Nancy Tousley
Calgary Herald


Friday, September 05, 2008

CALGARY - The location of Dennis Oppenheim's Device to Root out Evil and the partnership that made it possible were dramatically announced today as the monumental sculpture of a six-metre-tall church rolled down 24th Avenue S.W. on a long flatbed truck.

The Glenbow Museum and the Torode Group of Companies are partners in relocating the upside down church from Vancouver to Calgary and its new home in Ramsay, one of the city's oldest and most artistic neighbourhoods.

The sculpture's installation, which moves Calgary another step closer to becoming a major centre for art, began soon after the truck reached the site, and the two parts of the work were lifted up and into position by crane.

On long-term loan to the Glenbow, Device to Root out Evil has been sited in a leafy park-like setting on the west side of the Dominion Bridge building in Ramsay Exchange, Torode's billion-dollar redevelopment of the 21-acre industrial land for mixed residential and retail use. The park has been landscaped with trees and shrubs and provides benches to sit on for viewers of the artwork.

Torode's gift to the Glenbow in providing a site for the work is estimated at about $100,000.
Made of steel, aluminum and red Venetian glass, Device to Root out Evil represents a country church that appears to have been lifted up and thrust downward with such force that its steeple sticks in the ground and holds the rest of the building aloft.

The inverse position of the church has been interpreted as blasphemous by some viewers and this has given the work a reputation for being provocative. The artist has said he did not have this intention in mind when he made the work.

The sculpture, which debuted at the 1997 Venice Biennale, arrived in Canada for the Vancouver International Sculpture Biennial in 2005. It was purchased for $300,000 the following year by the Benefic Foundation, a group of lawyers that specializes in philanthropy, and sited in Harbour Green Park.

After condo residents in the waterfront area complained that the sculpture blocked their view of Coal Harbour, and others argued it was blasphemous, Vancouver's art in the parks coordinator called for its removal.

Glenbow president Jeffrey Spalding then secured a five-year loan from the Benefic Foundation to bring the work to Calgary and found a partner in John Torode.

Dennis Oppenheim, who is in Korea to participate in the Bufan Biennale, is an internationally famous American artist whose outdoor sculpture is found in major cities around the world. He was awarded two commissions for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, one in Beijing and one in Hong Kong. ntousley@theherald.canwest.com

Link

[Wooster]

^ I think a very suitable location for it. Good for Torode. He's really gung ho on public art.

[DizzyEdge]

I initially read that as "composting myself"