taBURNak! 7 Setup Day
So, it's been a couple weeks since taBURNak! 7, and I have to say, the down time was definitely needed! My 6th year working for this festival, and my 3rd as the Arts Coordinator. Although I love this event so much, the amount of work it takes to pull off is pretty crazy. Worth it, but crazy!
This year the event was held in a new venue, and I have to say, it made all the difference. Not only was
a stunning venue, but the people who ran the venue were amazing, supportive, and very like minded individuals.
"In 2010
, a non-profit that supports social and professional insertion in the audio-visual field, acquired the historical church Notre-Dame-du-Perpétuel-Secours and imagined a visionary plan to keep the church benefiting the community.
With its impressive volume and unique architecture the space was ideal for the project. After three years of intense labor, Theatre Paradoxe finally opened its doors to the public on February 12th 2014.
Behind its massive wooden doors and stone facade, typical of the spiritual place it used to be, is now a highly adaptable venue. Original stained-glass windows give a unique signature to events taking place there. Whether for a show, a launch, a corporate event or a wedding, our modular structures can transform the space to suit your needs. A world of many possibilities can be imagined inside the Theater."
-
website
As well as being a venue for different types of events, Groupe Paradoxe is also a non-profit organization that helps train undereducated adults with a skill so that they can be employable. They were completely on the same page in terms of community building, and giving back energy into the world. It always makes me feel so good to partner with other organizations that have the same values of bettering the world around them. And needless to say, the absolutely stunning venue added so much to the feeling of the event.
Setup went amazing. The artists who applied this year really upped their game by bringing awesome art, and there were plenty of amazing volunteers that showed up to lend a hand.
Shanie Shine built our amazing stage this year. A 8' x 8' cube that flattened into a 2D shape when you looked at it dead on.
Shanie is an architect aiming to build a better world. She seeks to create playful experiences through architecture. She's inspired by optical phenomena such as illusions, parallax and retinal persistence. For taBURNak!, she has created an "interference cube", hanging above the stage. The cube's appearance rearranges itself depending on the perspective and the point of view of the pARTicipants, creating openings and occlusions that evolve with movement.
Ryan Matthews
Falling stars
Carpenter or Artist?
Designer or Fabricator?
Builder or Sculptor?
Facilitator or Participant?
Whatever…
sometimes Ryan creates stuff just for the hell of it.
Ryan's piece was particularly difficult to set up.
A series of wooden stars that interlock and lean against each other to form a 25' sculpture.
But, after several hours, a few broken pieces and a hardware store run, he finally got it up, and it was wonderful!
, retrospective of sculptural works
A local Montréal Artist pushing boundaries, and exploring new material possibilities in sculpture.
Matti's pieces looked particularly wonderful with the background of the church.
The
Glo-Dome made a reappearance this year, although they updated it with some new colors.
Archimedes Design presents the Day-Glo Play(a) Dome. Stop by for the visuals, stay for the fun!
Day-glo fun, in a neon op-art chill dome. Come in and play!
The
and the
made their appearance as well this year, completing their year long circuit of festival tours.
The Orison Dome is an installation that has been touring eastern Canada starting in Spring of 2015. The outside is adorned with imagery representing the artist's ideas of art and spirituality, while the interior of the dome creates a mobile sacred space for people to ponder, worship and gather community. Inside is the Prayer Flag Project, a moving installation that started at last years taBURNak! and has since traveled across North America. People across the country have written their own prayers for peace and happiness on blank prayer flags that the artist has created, which then spread through the countryside. The purpose of this project is to inspire people to actively participate in creating their own spiritual space and to promote community wellness.
Kiri did her first ever welding project for this event, and it turned out beautifully.
I won't be found
Kiri is a pirate and a maker of strange objects, usually wearable in nature. Now she is starting to play with recycled structures, beyond the world of costumes and accessories, into the imagination of metal and form.
We had
and
doing projection mapping on the walls of the church. The integration with the architecture was completly stunning.
A team of renegade projectionists, initiated by VJ userZero & Bun Bun,will perform live projection mapping with alc_freeLiner: their very own free/opensource feature-full geometric animation software.
We are a Montreal based international Burning Man theme camp! Together we create a communal space that celebrates the childlike mastery of the art of play. So come to The Neighborhood, where it's Recess all day! Whether noontime or nighttime, leisure or labor, do us a favor...Won't you be our neighbor?
Alaric Bergeron and Justine Levesque
Gallium Hourglass
We both have a deep passion for science, and love to share interesting and fascinating aspects of it with everyone! Also, we often feel like the distance between science and art is often grossly overestimated.
Sunday Créations / Créations du dimanche
....I would like to give a picture of a creation
Batman: The killing joke.
I see you (see me)
The act of watching.
Do you like to look, to watch, to gaze? How do you feel about being watched, to be looked at?
What are your feelings about being objectified?
This is your chance to be put on display, to be watched without having to feel the gaze.
The empowerment of presence is yours to give and to take.
I see you (see me).
Self Conscious
Sabrina's images, poems and objects take you on her journey of self-discovery through various experiences, rituals, and rites of passage, inviting you to reflect on your own journey and to arrive in the present moment.
Paradoxe allowed us to us a couple of the confessionals for our event. Having art inside of them added so much historical content and spiritual themes to the pieces.
Bookmaking Jam at taBURNak 7!
This Bookmaking Jam is a space where you become coauthor of a book on the transformative power of Burning Man and other festivals. We'll ask you questions and you can share your stories, poetry, your drawings and your doodles. Come ready to share!
is a community of highly skilled creative people at 160 Bartley who want to rise through the potential of humanity though art, food, and being.
Chrysalis
I am a healing artist and spiritual activist. My artwork takes the form of drawings, paintings, installations and zines. My spiritual practices now mostly consist of gardening and breathing but sometimes include yoga, theology, reiki and other forms of energy healing.
A party in Quebec isn't perfect without having a poutine after midnight. Midnight Poutine will perform the task and fill your stomachs. Come party with us outside!
Other artists who were representing, that I didn't happen to snap a shot of at setup-
Osseous Grove
By combining forces, Ados & Creatures build a wilderness from the dead, the living and the created.
Jeremy Schembri
LED Pong brings to live a colourful version of Pong recreated using LEDs! Play against an opponent or artificial intelligence as you move your paddle horizontally to victory. Discover new rules from the palate of hues and become the LED Pong Champion.
City and Jungle
Millie Caron is an self taught artist who learned through her travels and love of nature. Her art blends dreams, mind and visual illusions and marvels of nature.
We are the Dusty Beavers. We are a camp at Burning Man. We are from Québec, France, and the US. We bring love, joy and maple syrup to Burning Man.
ès son tout jeune âge, Pumpkin a toujours été différente des autres, elle aime vivre dangereusement et intensément. Les nouveaux défis ne lui font pas peur. Elle a déjà son propre style et se démarque par ses idées originales et parfois même choquantes.
Après avoir vécu ses 17 premières années à Rivière-du-Loup, elle prend son courage à 2 mains pour venir dans la grande ville de Montréal y étudier le cinéma, les arts visuels et les effets spéciaux et l’architecture de paysage. Entre temps, Elle a travaillé quelques années dans la post-production cinématographique. Sa rencontre avec la scène électronique et le nightlife à Montréal a été électrisante. Elle s’est mise à organiser elle-même des soirées dans des bars en engageant plusieurs Djs connus. Elle aimerait pouvoir tout faire en même temps si elle en était capable…
Guillaume Roberts-Cambron / Stephen Fuller
Self projection well
Di Lynn Emirzian is a digital artist specialising in 3D graphics. They enjoy creating emotionally moving pieces using expressive humanoid gestures.
Planet Path
Jamie Janx, is a multidisciplinary international award winning, imaging professional and visual artist with an in-depth artistic and technical knowledge in both traditional and digital photography. His intricately crafted images explore a wide range of styles, which successfully combines imagination and knowledge. Most recently using photography as a launching pad toward other street arts with installations, murals and projections being added dimensions to his growing range of fine art production.
A few more infrastructure things, and the team is almost ready.
Tired, but happy. Ready to do lighting tests and start the night!
The lighting looks great, and we are ready to play!
Thank you to the venue, and all of the amazing artists and volunteers who helped make this event possible!
More on the event to come later!