OCAD U participates in Nuit Blanche with two unique events

As a vibrant cultural hub in Toronto, OCAD University is participating in this year’s Nuit Blanche, an all-night free celebration of contemporary art taking place on October 5, with two unique and extraordinary events – one that will transform Canada’s Malting Silos into an aquatic temple and the second that will connect Toronto to a traditional mud hut in central Kenya for a live, 12-hour immersive cultural exchange.

RIPARIA 

October 5, 2024, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Canada’s Malting Silos, Bathurst St. at Queen's Quay W.

9 Eirrean Quay

Co-presented by OCAD University’s Global Centre for Climate Action and the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Canada, Riparia by Lithuanian artist and filmmaker Emilija Škarnulytė will transform the newly repurposed Canada Malting Silos into an aquatic temple.

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 Rhone River arising from the juxtaposition of opposing forces between the technological and mythological, unveiling broader interconnections between the sacred and the ruinous, and 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 and the DemocracyXChange Summit.

About the artist: Emilija Škarnulytė is a Lithuanian-born artist and filmmaker who works at the intersection of documentary and speculative fiction. Škarnulytė was awarded the 2023 Ars Fennica Award and the 2019 Future Generation Art Prize. Her recent exhibitions include presentations at the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea (2023), the Helsinki Biennale in Finland (2023), and the Henie Onstad Triennale for Photography and New Media in Norway (2023).

Her work has been showcased at prestigious venues such as Tokyo’s Mori Museum, London’s Tate Modern and Serpentine Galleries, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

About the  Global Centre for Climate Action: Affiliated with OCAD University, the Centre is a research-creation centre at the 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.

About Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Canada: Established in 1976 in Ottawa, the Delegation 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.

We thank our supporter Panasonic and technical partner FutureTalk. 

THE METIPSO PORTAL INTERNATIONAL
October 5, 2024, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
OCAD University, 100 McCaul St., Main Auditorium 

This 12-hour LIVE and interactive Nuit Blanche 2024 – BRIDGING DISTANCE event is a co-presentation with OCAD U’s Onsite Gallery and The Metipso Portal International. This exciting, multi-faceted exhibit will link Toronto to The Metipso Portal International Mud Hut Media Lab for the Live Broadcast Experiment: #NB-OCAD-10-05-24. The Metipso Portal International is the world's only experimental media lab that operates in a traditional mud hut in a village located on the edge of a protected forest in the highlands of Central Kenya. 

Artwork presented throughout the night will be The Metipso Portal’s most ambitious presentation to date! The all-night program will include a compilation of archival footage showcasing past connections between the Metipso Portal and people worldwide played on the central screen. 

To the side of the screen, the event participants will discover a Live Zoom call where they can meet and interact with a member from Metipso village. This intimate call will run for the full 12 hours. Scheduled to commence at 11:30 pm is super exciting prime time presentation of METIPSO LIVE, LIVE! 

Hosted by an array of the ActionCan Films who’s who, including Benjamin Blais, John Fleming and newcomer Arleigh Curran from Toronto along with Metipso TV team in Kenya, including Teddy Purity, KAIDA, Javan Batenga and renowned international presenter Topi Lyambila. 

Visitors can look forward to experiencing live interactions between the bi-continental hosts, audience members, fun games as well as talented performances from both sides including Cellist Margaret Maria, Traditional Village Singers and Cocanina.

This unique exhibit has been orchestrated by lead Canadian artists Joel Richardson and Susan de Freitas and Kenyan Olympic Gold medallist Matthew Birir.

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.