Analogue Projects Celebrating Pride in Place
During this time of isolation and physical distancing, we ask: how can we still find ways to take up public space, be visible, out, loud and proud, political? How can we bring the spirit of queer pride to our neighbourhoods? To our public, private, and shared spaces? Over twenty artists respond, with a series of hyper-local projects animating gardens, sidewalks, and mailboxes across the city.
PAST PROJECTS
Pocket Gay to Night
June 22-27, daily at 8PM
Boultbee Ave + Jones Ave
Pride nightlife vibes make their way to Trixie and Beever’s east end home. In the back, a balcony covered in Pride accoutrements echoes the ones seen throughout the village, while the front turns into a party scene at dusk, as lights, music, shadows, and fog spill into the street.
THE ARTISTS
creators Trixie & Beever (with Adrien Whan)
Pride Rocks
June 25-28
McCowan District Park
Responding to a lack of safe spaces for queer folks in Scarborough, Aisha Fairclough animates a park’s walking trail with hand-painted rocks featuring affirmations of love, belonging, and resilience.
THE ARTISTS
creator + curator Aisha Fairclough
Queerantine
June 27, 8PM + 9PM
Shuter St + Sackville St
Two lesbians meet for the first time after months of online dating, only to be confronted by COVID. Queerantine is a pas de deux on pavement: a physical theatre installation exploring queer love in the time of lockdown.
THE ARTISTS
by the Canadian-Caribbean Arts Network
creator Rhoma Spencer, in collaboration with performers Jillia Cato + Nickeshia Garrick
soundscape design Brandon Valdivia
director Rhoma Spencer
The Twilight Fairy Garden
June 27, 9PM
Pape Ave + Bain Ave
also livestreamed on YouTube
Fairies will fly, fireflies will mate and disco ball unicorns will perform a musical saw aria culminating in a majestic rainbow. Watch a backyard garden transform, in real-time, into a magical symphony of colour, sound and critters of the queerest kind.
THE ARTISTS
director, animator Raymond Helkio
composer Stewart Borden
featuring Dayon Mboya Monson
offering Keith Cole
musical saw Charlie C. Petch
vocals Hélène Ducharme
writer David Bateman
additional audio/video Laura Cowell
Do-It-Yourself Pride Festival
This 13-day DIY Pride Festival zine offers reflections on Toronto’s queer history and community, along with instructional event scores inviting you to activate and disrupt your own space and routines. A queer reimagining of Yoko Ono’s 1967 Do-It-Yourself Dance Festival.
THE ARTISTS
creators Lee Cameron + Wesley Reibeling
Pride Grams
Inspired by valentine-o-grams and halloween-o-grams of our school days, have a cute, colourful, hand-stenciled postcard sent to a loved one to celebrate Pride season.
THE ARTIST
creator Jenna Harris
Deaf Cabaret
July 17, starting at 5:30PM
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (12 Alexander St);
Artscape Young Place (180 Shaw St);
Wellesley St E & Sherbourne St
( w/ livestream options)
Ready to see magic come alive through sign language? Deaf Spectrum presents a series of pop-up performances by Deaf artists, animating sites across the downtown core, with a central activation outside Buddies.
THE ARTISTS
curator Sage Lovell
director Gaitrie Persaud Dhunmoon
performers Gaitrie Persaud Dhunmoon, Courage Bacchus, Jay Goray, Ralitsa Rodriguez
videography Ali Saeedi + Alexa Hickox
ASL interpretation Amanda Hyde
Schedule:
5:30PM – Buddies front steps (+ live on Deaf Spectrum’s FB page)
6:30PM – Artscape Youngplace south steps (+ live on Deaf Spectrum’s IG)
7:30PM – Sherbourne St + Wellesley St E
8:30PM – Buddies front steps (+ live on Deaf Spectrum’s IG)
Cruising
October – November 2020
Cherry Beach
What begins as a knowing glance develops into an intricate physical exploration in the natural environment, in this contemporary dance/live art performance. The audience directly engages with the performer via text message, as they witness the action from a distance, in their own vehicle.
A note on participation:
By registering, you give consent to the artist to contact you by phone and/or email within the given date range in order to arrange a specific performance date/time. You also agree to communicate with the performer (via text message) during the actual performance.
This is a performance for one vehicle (car or bicycle) at a time. Due to the very limited capacity, not all registrants will be contacted to participate.
THE ARTIST
director, choreographer + performer Michael Caldwell
Queerantine image by Kevin Ormsby, featuring Nickeshia Garrick, Jillia Cato, Shawn Henry + Laura Baxter
A note regarding health + safety
While we want our communities to join in this celebration of Queer Pride, public safety has been a primary consideration in our programming. Many offerings have a digital, travelling, or mail-out component. If you choose to engage with outdoor programs, we ask that you stick to projects in and around your neighbourhood, avoid crowding in any situation, and always respect physical distancing guidelines. We encourage you to wear a mask in public spaces to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Pay attention to the most up-to-date public health directives, use your judgement, and please be safe.