Blog: Crystle Reid on ArtHere!, March 14, 2012

Part V Happy Travels!

by Crystle Reid

Well we’re in the home stretch now: ArtHere! is happening this Friday night. In all honesty, at this point I generally tend to feel relieved we’re almost done and this one is certainly no different. After a series of unfortunate events with the Régie (or, as I prefer call them, the liquor Vogans), we finally have a liquor license. After easily more than fifty calls we finally have event insurance for a building that isn’t technically open yet. We’ve jumped through all the hoops involved in planning an event in a found space, in both French and English. With more than a 1000 emails under our belt we’re practically bureaucratic superheroes. I’ve come to the personal realization that the character trait in myself that most explains my career path is tenacity. In the whole history of ArtHere! there has really only been one “no” I couldn’t change. Oh Redpath Museum, when will you relent?

Blog: Crystle Reid on ArtHere!, February 7, 2012

Part IV: ArtGrant!

by Crystle Reid

(Photos of Jacqueline Van De Geer by Juliam Stamboulieh)

Last year at ArtCamp! Astra’s piece was a sort of “choose your own baptism” in the lake at dawn.  Patrons who wanted to participate filled out a form the evening before where they chose what the baptism was an act of: purification, praise, aspiration, healing, or goal setting.  Participants were invited to circle as many symbols of the divine from a list including: Jesus Christ, Buddha, Mother Earth, Kali, Kayne West, their ancestors or they could fill one in of their choosing.  Finally they could share any words or prayers that they wanted to include.  I know it’s all a bit sacrilegious.  When I came up with the framework of the piece it wasn’t my intention to offend anyone.  I wanted to provide participants with a fun but moving experience.  Plus, I always wanted to be baptized in a lake. 

Blog: Crystle Reid on ArtHere!

Anne Sophie Grenier performing Frida Kahlo at the last ArtHotel! (photo: Julian Stambouleh)

Part III

The Artists

by Crystle Reid

Each ArtHere! is made spectacular by the artists who are involved.  This week I asked a couple of them to share with me what’s it’s like to participate in an ArtHere! event.  First we have Anne-Sophie Grenier who,  at the upcming ArtHostel!,  will be presenting a Vaudeville Hall of Freaks:

After performing at ArtHere!, I needed a good sixteen hours of sleep to recover. Not only are you performing all night, but you also have to be on your toes and prepared for a different audience every time, especially if the piece is interactive. Since ArtHere! allows you to venture deep into the unexpected, push limits and break pretty much every conventional rule of theatre, you get exactly what you ask for: unexpected reactions. Before every new wave of audience members come into the performance space, I can’t help but think, “Will they get it?” Luckily, experience at ArtHere! has taught me that nine times out of ten, they do “get it”. Most audience members are fellow artists or art enthusiasts and happily embark on the adventure.

Blog: Crystle Reid on ArtHere!, February 8, 2012

Hayley Lewis and Isaac Bell of All The Fixin's Theatre

(photo credit: Kes Tagney)

February 8, 2012

The People

by Crystle Reid

The deadline for people to submit performance pieces to ArtHere! is like Christmas Day for me.  I even check my email right after midnight, just to see if there are any stragglers.  And this year my “presents,” for ArtHere! look really good.  We never force a theme on the event beyond the space itself.  One usually emerges as everyone separately submits.  This time around it’s shaping up to be a favorite of mine: carnival. 

Blog: Crystle Reid on ArtHere!

Bedbugs! (photo: Julian Stamboulieh)

January 25, 2012

The concept

by Crystle Reid

You’re in a hotel in downtown Montreal where you come across a bellhop on stilts crouching in the elevator, behind him is a very pregnant woman and her husband yelling back and forth at each other, they appear to have stepped out of a Christopher Guest movie.  The couple has a small crowd of people quietly following them.  When they leave the elevator the pair leads the crowd into a hotel room.  Down the hall you can see a large puppet escorting people out of another room; and you can hear sounds of laughter.  Have you found yourself in some sort of weird wacked out crazy parallel universe?  No, chances are you’ve come upon an ArtHere! event.