TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OCAD University is joining with the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Canada and The Metipso Portal International to bring two unique events to life as part of Toronto’s 2024 Nuit Blanche. The all-night free celebration of contemporary art takes place on October 5, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Both events are aligned with this year’s theme for Nuit Blanche, Bridging Distance. The Metipso Portal International will link the urban community of Toronto with a rural community in Kenya at OCAD U, 100 McCaul St. Hosts stationed on each side of the portal will expertly guide live conversations and audience interactions, providing a dynamic cultural experience for visitors in both locations.
Riparia will transform the Canada Malting Silos into an aquatic temple where two mythical goddesses, made and performed by Lithuanian-born artist and filmmaker Emilija Škarnulytė, will help audiences navigate our current environmental and social crises.
ABOUT RIPARIA
Co-presented by OCAD University’s Global Centre for Climate Action and the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Canada, Riparia by Lithuanian-born artist and filmmaker Emilija Škarnulytė will transform the newly repurposed Canada Malting Silos, Bathurst St. and Queen’s Quay W., into an aquatic temple. The title of the exhibit comes from the Latin “riparius,” a noun deriving from ripa, meaning "bank" or "shore.”
Viewers will experience a mesmerizing film odyssey where mythical goddesses, part-human and part-aquatic animals, converge to form a sanctuary of worship, emotional reckoning, and scientific inquiry. They will witness these prophetic hybrid beings through diverse visual perspectives across the Rhône River arising from the juxtaposition of opposing forces between the technological and mythological, unveiling broader interconnections between the sacred and the ruinous, inviting a new approach to navigating crises like climate change.
This event is a new partnership between OCAD University and the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Canada to collaboratively present works at art festivals in Toronto. The event is supported by Panasonic with technical partner FutureTalk.
ABOUT THE METIPSO PORTAL INTERNATIONAL
The Metipso Portal International is a 12-hour live and interactive event, co-presented by OCAD U’s Onsite Gallery, an official major institutional partner of Nuit Blanche, and The Metipso Portal International Mud Hut Media Lab.
This exciting, multi-faceted exhibit will link Toronto to the mud hut media lab, located on the edge of a protected forest in the highlands of Central Kenya. It will take place in the main auditorium at OCAD University, 100 McCaul St. and has been orchestrated by lead Canadian artists Joel Richardson and Susan de Freitas and Kenyan Olympic Gold medallist Matthew Birir.
The event is being hosted by an array of who’s who from ActionCan Films, including Benjamin Blais, John Fleming and newcomer Arleigh Curran from Toronto, along with the Metipso TV team in Kenya. METIPSO LIVE, LIVE! will be presented at 11:30 p.m.
Visitors will experience live interactions between the bi-continental hosts, audience members, fun games as well as talented performances from both locations, including cellist Margaret Maria, Traditional Village Singers and Cocanina. Throughout the evening, visitors can also participate in a live Zoom call where they can meet and interact with a member from Metipso.
The Metipso Portal International is curated by Lisa Deanne Smith, Senior Curator, Onsite Gallery, and made possible through Onsite Gallery’s generous support from The Delaney Family, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council.
QUOTES
“As a vital arts and cultural hub in the city, OCAD University is excited to participate in this year’s Nuit Blanche. By joining with our partners, we are offering two opportunities that speak to bridging distance and encouraging connection. The Metipso Portal International will bridge the distance between Toronto and a rural village in Kenya. On the city’s western waterfront, the cinematic projection Riparia will encourage people to consider their connection to the earth amidst our current climate crisis.”
– President and Vice-Chancellor Ana Serrano
"Art and culture serve as powerful bridges across borders, fostering connections between people in Canada, the European Union, and beyond through shared values and mutual learning. Art has a unique ability to engage the senses and shape behaviour by turning abstract concepts into tangible experiences. Riparia stands as a powerful example, delivering an immersive sensory journey that invites deep reflection on our connection to the environment and the pressing challenges of climate change."
– Head of the European Union Delegation to Canada, Geneviève Tuts
“The Metipso Portal International is excited to connect with the Nuit Blanche audience at OCAD University. The artwork presented throughout the all-night celebration will be The Metipso Portal International’s most ambitious presentation to date. We are the world’s only experimental media lab that operates in a traditional mud hut on the edge of a protected forest.”
– Susan de Freitas, The Metipso Portal International
ORGANIZATION PROFILES
Affiliated with OCAD University, the Global Centre for Climate Action is a research-creation centre at Canada’s Malting Silos that brings together artists, designers and researchers from around the world to host public events, exhibitions and programs that engage people in creative action and dialogue towards a renewed climate future.
The Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Canada, established in 1976 in Ottawa, strengthens EU-Canada ties, covering all bilateral policy areas. The EU is at the forefront of global efforts to combat climate change, implementing ambitious policies and legally binding targets aimed at achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The EU also promotes cultural diplomacy and effective multilateralism, fostering cooperation and understanding between Canadians and Europeans.
Onsite Gallery is the flagship professional gallery of OCAD University and an experimental curatorial platform for art, design and new media. Onsite Gallery presents contemporary, Indigenous, and public art and design to advance knowledge creation and stimulate local and international conversations on the urgent issues of our time.
The Metipso Portal International is an experimental media lab founded in 2017 in the small Kenyan village of Metipso by Canadian artist Joel Richardson and Kenyan Olympic gold medallist Matthew Birir. Susan de Freitas is also a core member. The Metipso Portal is the world’s only media lab that operates in a traditional mud hut. Numerous others participate in the collective's programming based on each event.
For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact:
Karen McCarthy, Director, Communications and Media
OCAD University, kmccarthy@ocadu.ca | 1-514-826-0597
Natalie Pavlenko, Senior Strategic Communications Advisor
OCAD University, npavlenko@ocadu.ca | 416-977-6000, ext. 475
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8c3e61f5-ed77-463a-ade4-7bfdc24529bb
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0c7c950d-edee-4cc9-aed9-d2213c63b73c
