A Week Plus of A-plus by Sarah-Adams Bacon

With Artcity festivities winding down and so many artists and art workers sitting down for the first time in weeks, let’s take a sec and reflect on how great it all was, shall we?

Opening day, Friday the fifth, included The Readers by the Social Evolution Research Gang (SERG), and of course, the Opening Gala Celebration. Beginning with The Readers, artists Lori Gordon, Ashley Neese, and Robin Lambert read excerpts from favorite stories to public participators. The series of readings took place at several different locations throughout week, including the library, the opera centre, and the art college. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been read to, and I was surprised by how indulgent it felt. Someplace between politeness, altruism, and childish fascination, both reader and listener relied on the other to enjoy the experience. Although a relatively simple event, the range of social commentaries that the The Readers took on was both expansive and complex.

It hurts me to report that there was one minor hitch in the brilliance of Artcity. The Opening Gala was kind of a fog, literally-- the main dance/bar area was cloaked in smoke machine fog. This year the Gala was free, which, while a generous move on behalf of Artcity, also toned down the commitment factor for anyone attending. On the plus side, Ryan Sluggett’s installations and animations on exhibit inside the opera centre were fabulous. The work showcased the impressive turn the young prolific artist’s practice has taken, popping his much appreciated painting style off the canvas and into new sensory possibilities.

I was fortunate enough on my busy Saturday to catch a peek at Megan Morman’s Calgary Super Bingo in action, as a group of bingo-ees crisscrossed our paths. I later picked up some bingo cards of my own, and almost couldn’t bring myself to blot out the superb little pictograms. My favorite cards included “white cowboy hat”, “absence of sidewalk”, “construction” (all perhaps the easiest to spot), and the rarities like “bookstore”, and “farmer’s market” (how silly to expect to see these things downtown). I also found myself searching for “stroller mom” until I sheepishly realized that I was it. Haha. The work was certainly a clever and subtle poke at what kind of city we live in.

On Sunday I attended Jennifer Delos Reyes' Choral Society (for Wednesday Lupypciw). The idea was to honor a wonderful person through singing to them their favorite song. Reyes chose Lupypciw, and Lupypciw chose Madonna’s “Into the Groove”. Participators assembled into a choir formation with Lupypciw seated facing them (us), and we proceeded to sing and groove our love out to her. The performance was a truly feel-good celebration of an admired community member. In retrospect, however, I hope that our amateur voices singing the song over and over hasn’t ruined its place as Lupypciw’s favorite.

Another totally outstanding bit of Artcity magic was Crystalbeard’s Adventure Land Fun Balloon by Stu Hughes, Ben Jacques, with music by Chad VanGaalen. Part of Artcity Video Screening Night and Petite Enveloppe Urbaine Launch, the animation unfolds like a bright fantastic dream, making such excellent nonsense that one must strictly assign the “fun” section of one’s brain to take it in. These artists have kept their hyperactive kid sides alive and well inside their man-bodies, using their highly sophisticated talents to pour out dazzling jubilees of color and messy humor. Very fun stuff.

-- Sarah Adams-Bacon