Nuit Blanche
October 5, 2024

FakeKnot is the umbrella entity for collaborative performance works that play with the complexities of identity and culture through costume, sound, technology, and movement. FakeKnot is grounded in street, commercial, and contemporary dance techniques that honours the queer, POC, Philippine diasporic identity of Artistic Director, Ralph Escamillan. Collaboration as a practice of knowledge co-creation is essential for FakeKnot in the ways it can generatively bring differences together. The company is a non-profit and registered charity, and gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, and the City of Vancouver.

Ralph Escamillan is a queer, Canadian-Filipinx performance artist, choreographer and teacher based in Vancouver, BC. His work questions notions of identity, tradition and clothing, and the influence of pop culture in a globalising world. As the artistic director of FakeKnot, he develops collaborative performance works that have been presented both nationally and internationally. 

Karim Olen Ash is making waves in Toronto’s electronic music scene. Drawing inspiration from a diverse musical background, Karim seamlessly melds house, techno, club, and disco, striking a harmonious balance between intensity and tranquility. Alongside Chippy Nonstop, Karim co-founded Pep Rally, curating a celebrated rave that brings together top artists in contemporary club music. Annually, Karim produces the legendary World AIDS Day Ball in December.

xLq is a pop art performance duo — two matching electro-pop superstars from the future. We are party girls and theatre makers. We create interactive theatrical playgrounds with a queer pop aesthetic. We have facilitated the Creator’s Unit at the Paprika Festival for the last three years, including this year’s show: FAST. FASHION. xLq is premiering our new large-scale interactive theatrical game show ARE YOU THE ONE? at Downstage Theatre in Calgary in March of 2025.

Vivek Shraya is an artist whose body of work crosses the boundaries of music, literature, visual art, theatre, TV, film, and fashion. A three-time Canadian Screen Award winner, Vivek is the creator and writer of the new CBC Gem Original Series How to Fail as a Popstar, which had its international premiere at Cannes. She was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize and has collaborated with musical icons Jann Arden, Peaches, and Jully Black. Her best-selling book I’m Afraid of Men was heralded by Vanity Fair as “cultural rocket fuel,” and she is the founder of the award-winning publishing imprint VS. Books, (featured on CBC’s Canada Reads) which supports emerging BIPOC writers. Vivek has been a brand ambassador for MAC Cosmetics and Pantene, a guest host on The Social and CBC’s q, and she is a director on the board of the Tegan and Sara Foundation.

Christopher Sherman is a Canadian queer photographer, videographer, writer and creator of Horny Newsletter, located in Toronto, Canada. Collaborations include Interview Magazine. Saint Laurent. Vogue. Numéro Berlin. Brother Vellies. Gayletter. The Face. Audemars Piguet. Allure. New York Times T Magazine. Hello Mr. Purpose & Perspective. KALTBLUT. Dear Boy. and many more.

Wishing Well // xLq

We’re taking a field trip to the longest running queer theatre in the world: BUDDIES IN BAD TIMES. And we’re going ALL NIGHT because it’s NUIT BLANCHE baby!!

From 7pm until 7am, the BASEMENT of Buddies will be covered entirely in white paper. Grab some sharpies and write, draw, colour, design, create a giant group mural together.

WEAR WHITE CLOTHES that you are down to draw all over!

In the BATHROOMS, you are invited to actually deface the walls and stalls of the bathroom. Raw, no paper. Give ‘em a makeover. Leave a love note, a missed connection, cast a spell, make a wish. Leave your MARK on this herstoric building… forever.

Hosted by the iconic theatre drag pop-star duo xLq, with performances by three other nightlife creatures, and featuring EIGHT DJs playing hour-long sets, this WISHING WELL is going to be a very special one.

Sex is Sex // Vivek Shraya + Christopher Sherman 

SEX IS SEX is a new collaborative video art project between Vivek
Shraya and Christopher Sherman that playfully challenges assumptions
about sexual roles and preferences based on appearance and gender.

MY HOUSE // Fakeknot + Ralph Escamillan

MY HOUSE is a new performance work by FakeKnot and Ralph Escamillan, based around the HOUSE that is represented through the familial physical bonds found in Ballroom.

This is an excerpt work-in-progress, in early stages of creation.

choreographer + performer // Ralph Escamillan aka, Kiki Legend OA Mother Posh Gvasalia – He/Him
performer // Kiki Legend Snoopy 007 (Toronto) – He/Him
performer // Kiki Legend Brian 007 (Montreal) – He/They
performer // Father Jaws Siriano (Toronto) – They/Them
DJ // Dream Siriano (Toronto) He/Him
commentator // Kiki Icon Twysted Siriano (Toronto) He/Him

LATE NIGHT IN THE CABARET

curated by Karim Olen Ash

with DJ sets by Karim Olen Ash, Eye of Psi, Young Teesh + HVN

Nuit Blanche Toronto is the city’s annual all-night celebration of contemporary art, produced by the City of Toronto in collaboration with Toronto’s arts community. Since 2006, this award-winning event has featured almost 1,600 art installations by approximately 5,800 artists and has generated over $489 million in economic impact for Toronto.

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