2010 • 8th 7a*11d Festival

7a*11d is pleased to announce the 8th biennial International Festival of Performance Art to Toronto audiences from October 21 – 31, 2010.

The 8th 7a*11d International Festival is the culmination of 14 years of our experiences as a collective, and two years of programming, planning and preparing for the over 30 amazing artists that will descend on Toronto this year. It is also an expression of our pure enjoyment of the work that excites us and inspires us as artists, as curators, and as audience.

It takes all of these things to make a festival, and we are proud to offer once again a collection of the best contemporary performance from what has truly become Toronto’s international community. It’s a festival, yes, but it is also a gathering, a family reunion, a conference, an object, a bag of tricks, twice behaved behavior, a marathon artist talk, a workshop, a screening, a special event, and a love letter. We are excited to present a larger and more expanded festival than ever before—with daily and evening performance art events presented in association with our gallery partners—first timers Mercer Union, the ever-faithful XPACE Cultural Centre and our home away from home, Toronto Free Gallery; and with adjunct events at Tranzac Club, The Gladstone Hotel and as always, at various outdoor public sites around the city. For the 2010 festival, we have assembled a stunning variety of emerging and established artists from Alberta, Belgium, China, Colombia, Finland, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Norway, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Québec, Saskatchewan, Singapore, Sweden, UK, the US, and Venezuela.

In addition to our stellar line-up of evening and daily off-site performance programming, and in collaboration with Toronto Free Gallery, we offer Performance Art Daily, a symposium and series in which invited artists talk about their work as well as the performance practices happening in their own cities and countries, with guest lectures and panel discussions dissecting the compelling issues of global performance.

Bookmark our homepage and check back often for updates, programming changes and the locations of our various off-site artists. Read up on the sights and insights of the festival at 7a11d.blogspot.com where we have commissioned two outstanding writers, Daniel Baird and Natalie Loveless, to chronicle each event.

For the past several festivals we have highlighted the work of iconic Canadian artists, designated as Éminences Grises, “one who exercises great power or influence secretly or unofficially.” Not so
secretly, this year we are pleased to honour Michael Fernandes and Sylvie Tourangeau. We invite you to pay special attention to their presentations.

With a jam-packed 11 days of performance art events, panel discussions, video/performance screenings and workshops, this is our unseasonal valentine to Toronto, a lifetime’s worth of our crush on performance art.

10th edition 7a*11d Internation Festival of Performance Art 2014 Poster

Schedule

Sep
17
Fri
A Space Gallery
continues to October 30
Oct
16
Sat
Workshop: Performance as Encounter
Toronto Free Gallery
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
17
Sun
Workshop: Performance as Encounter
Toronto Free Gallery
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
18
Mon
Workshop: Performance as Encounter
Toronto Free Gallery
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
19
Tue
Workshop: Performance as Encounter
Toronto Free Gallery
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
20
Wed
Workshop: Performance as Encounter
Toronto Free Gallery
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
21
Thu
Union Station
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
21
Thu
Performance as Encounter: performances by workshop participants
Toronto Free Gallery
5 pm
Oct
21
Thu
Pre-Ovum #8: Cyborg Single
Mercer Union—A Centre for Contemporary Art
8 pm
Oct
21
Thu
Penumatic Vision: Cut
Mercer Union—A Centre for Contemporary Art
8 pm
Oct
21
Thu
untitled
Mercer Union—A Centre for Contemporary Art
8 pm
Oct
22
Fri
Union Station
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
22
Fri
Bathurst St south of Front St W
3:30 pm
Oct
22
Fri
Performance as Encounter: performances by workshop participants
Toronto Free Gallery
5 pm
Oct
22
Fri
Ringing a bell in dialogue
Mercer Union—A Centre for Contemporary Art
8 pm
Oct
22
Fri
Women in peace and war
Mercer Union—A Centre for Contemporary Art
8 pm
Oct
22
Fri
Mi Imā Ēhkosit
Mercer Union—A Centre for Contemporary Art
8 pm
Oct
22
Fri
Bodies' Songs
Mercer Union—A Centre for Contemporary Art
8 pm
Oct
23
Sat
Union Station
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
23
Sat
CMG Performance Art Services
St. Lawrence Market North/Farmer's Market
11am - 4 pm
Oct
23
Sat
Market Stall Performance
Kensington Market (St Andrew St)
12 pm - 5 pm
Oct
23
Sat
Symphony (1,538 Beautiful Notes)
Toronto Free Gallery
12 pm - 7 pm
Oct
23
Sat
Ranchero
Mercer Union—A Centre for Contemporary Art
6 pm
Oct
23
Sat
Tranzac Club
8 pm
Oct
24
Sun
Union Station
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
24
Sun
Mercer Union—A Centre for Contemporary Art
4 pm
Oct
24
Sun
untitled
Mercer Union—A Centre for Contemporary Art
4 pm
Oct
24
Sun
De-Hearingization
Mercer Union—A Centre for Contemporary Art
4 pm
Oct
24
Sun
CMG Performance Art Services
Mercer Union—A Centre for Contemporary Art
4 pm
Oct
25
Mon
Union Station
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
26
Tue
Union Station
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
26
Tue
The 7th Sense
Toronto Free Gallery
8 pm
Oct
27
Wed
Union Station
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
27
Wed
Doing Things with Strangers
Toronto Free Gallery neighborhood
12 pm - 5 pm
Oct
27
Wed
Toronto Free Gallery
12 pm
Oct
28
Thu
Union Station
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
28
Thu
Doing Things with Strangers
Toronto Free Gallery neighborhood
12 pm - 5 pm
Oct
28
Thu
untitled
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
28
Thu
In Vivo/Toronto
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
28
Thu
Even out the pressure
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
28
Thu
Who is the predator and prey?
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
28
Thu
Point at the World
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
29
Fri
Union Station
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
29
Fri
Toronto Free Gallery
12 pm
Oct
29
Fri
Doing Things with Strangers
Toronto Free Gallery neighborhood
12 pm - 5 pm
Oct
29
Fri
Toronto Free Gallery
2 pm
Oct
29
Fri
Songs Just for You
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
29
Fri
Anger (Ira)
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
29
Fri
The Angelic Harp
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
29
Fri
I have nothing to say about my day
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
29
Fri
Performance Connection
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
30
Sat
Union Station
9 am - 5 pm
Oct
30
Sat
CMG Performance Art Services
St. Lawrence Market North/Farmer's Market
10 am - 3 pm
Oct
30
Sat
Doing Things with Strangers
Toronto Free Gallery neighborhood
12 pm - 5 pm
Oct
30
Sat
the conditions of surrender
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
30
Sat
Small Acts of Great Significance
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
30
Sat
Trajectory for a paradoxical escape or "The chair's walk"
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
30
Sat
find here here
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm
Oct
30
Sat
XPACE Cultural Centre
8 pm

Special Programming

d2d.5 = direct to documentation 2010

d2d.5 = direct to documentation Wednesday October 27 7 pm The Gladstone Hotel | 1214 Queen St W

Read More »

Parallel Events

A Space presents RE:Counting Coup

RE:counting coup Exhibition with KC Adams, Jordan Bennett, James Luna, Archer Pechawis, Lisa Reihana Curated by Cheryl L’Hirondelle Friday September 17 to Saturday October 30 A Space Gallery | 401 Richmond St W, Suite 110

Read More »

FADO's Performance as Encounter workshop with Agnes Nedregard

Workshop: Performance As Encounter with Agnes Nedregard Saturday October 16 to Wednesday October 20 10 am - 6 pm Toronto Free Gallery | 1277 Bloor St W Cost: $250 (does not include food, materials or accommodation)

Read More »

Red Sky Performance and Toronto Free Gallery present La Nostalgia Remix: Solid Gold

La Nostalgia Remix Guillermo Gómez-Peña & James Luna Saturday October 23 8 pm Tranzac Club | 292 Brunswick Ave $12 (Advance tickets 416-913-0461)

Read More »

Performance Art Daily

Performance Art Daily
Toronto Free Gallery | 1277 Bloor St W
Artist Talks: Friday October 22 to Sunday October 24 and Tuesday October 26 to Saturday October 30 12 pm
Closing Panel: Sunday October 31 2 pm at XPACE Cultural Centre | 58 Ossington Ave

Presented by Toronto Free Gallery in collaboration with 7a*11d.

Critical Texts for the 8th 7a*11d International Festival of Performance Art

2010 Blogposts (by Daniel Baird and Natalie Loveless)

This year’s blog will feature texts by two writers—Natalie Loveless and Daniel Baird—as well as images by our festival photographer, Henry Chan.

Natalie Loveless is an artist, teacher and writer. She recently completed a PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz, on transdiciplinarity and its implications for new models of pedagogy and socially engaged art practices. She is a visiting assistant professor in the Visual Arts Department of the University of Western Ontario and is on the editorial board of >> liminal << the journal of new performance. Natalie’s blog posts are marked (NL).

Born in Los Angeles, Daniel Baird lived and worked in New York City from 1989, where he was a founder of The Brooklyn Rail, a magazine for which he worked as an art editor, feature writer, and monthly columnist. Since moving to Toronto in 2000, he has written on the arts for numerous Canadian publications, including Canadian Art and Border Crossings. He is the former editor of The Walrus, and remains a regular contributor on topics as diverse as contemporary art and history, political theory and religion. Daniel’s blog posts are marked (DB).

Henry Chan has been documenting performance art in Toronto since 2006. This is the third edition of 7a*11d that he has photographed; he also documents work for FADO Performance Art Centre as well s events, exhibitions and performances at various contemporary art venues in the city, including the Images festival and the Power Plant contemporary art gallery. When he is not using a camera, Henry is crunching numbers and pushing paperwork as an accountant.

Venues/Locations

Mercer Union—A Centre for Contemporary Art
1286 Bloor St W
(just east of Lansdowne Ave)

Toronto Free Gallery
1277 Bloor St W
(just east of Lansdowne Ave)

XPACE Cultural Centre
58 Ossington Ave
(just north of Queen St W)

The Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen St W
(one block east of Dufferin St)

Tranzac Club
292 Brunswick Ave
(south of Bloor St W)

A Space Gallery
401 Richmond St W, Suite 110

FADO Performance Art Centre
401 Richmond St W, Suite 445

Union Station
65 Front St W

Bathurst St south of Front St W
On Bathurst St along the metal bridge that runs over the railroad tracks just south of Front St W

St. Lawrence Market North/Farmer’s Market
Front St E & Lower Jarvis St

Kensington Market (St Andrew St)
Just east of Kensington Ave (north of Dundas St W)

Festival Eyes and Ears

Henry CHAN has been documenting performance art in Toronto since 2006. He has photographed the last two 7a*11d festivals, the activities of FADO Performance Art Centre, as well as events, exhibitions and performances at various contemporary art venues in the city including The Images Festival and The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. When he is not using a camera, Henry is crunching numbers and pushing paperwork as an accountant.

Born in Los Angeles, Daniel BAIRD lived and worked in New York City from 1989, where he was a founder of The Brooklyn Rail, a magazine for which he worked as an art editor, feature writer, and monthly columnist. Since moving to Toronto in 2000, he has written on the arts for numerous Canadian publications, including Canadian Art and Border Crossings. He is the former editor of The Walrus, and remains a regular contributor on topics as diverse as contemporary art and history, political theory and religion. Daniel’s blog posts are marked ‘(DB)’

Natalie LOVELESS is an artist, teacher and writer. She recently completed a PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz, on transdiciplinarity and its implications for new models of pedagogy and socially engaged art practices. She is a visiting assistant professor in the Visual Arts Department of the University of Western Ontario and is on the editorial board of >> liminal << the journal of new performance. Natalie’s blog posts are marked ‘(NL)’.

7a*11d Festival Blog 2010

  • Henry Chan
  • Daniel Baird
  • Natalie Loveless

7a*11d gratefully acknowledges the support of

And a special thanks to this year's co-presenters, and media and venue sponsors

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