Bernice Afriyie | Arts Editor
Featured illustration: It’s not always easy to keep track of all the art events going on here at York.. | Jasmine Wiradharma
There’s something about the arts that reminds one of meteorology. The timid ascension of a weather balloon, until, like a ballerina on tiptoe, it swells up and expands its thin rubber membrane and starts its descent back to Earth. The chaotic and random spattering of rain, snow and hail descend, like the methodical madness of expressionist paintings. A brilliant flash of lightning like the flash of a digital camera.
You wouldn’t wear Hunter boots on a hot August day — unless you’re someone who enjoys a walking slip and slide — because you would have checked the weather forecast beforehand. The same thing goes for arts. York students are fortunate enough to be exposed to a variety of artistic weathers on campus. Whether you enjoy film, dance, music, painting, photography or design, there’s always something going on. In order to make sure that you’re aware and dressed accordingly, here’s a breakdown of York-related events to check out this September.
Lace up your Doc Martins and gather your bus tokens because from September 8 to 18, you can head to the Toronto International Film Festival, or TIFF. TIFF boasts world-class screenings, lectures, galas and workshops, and hails directors, screenwriters and artists alike from all over the world, most notably a steady pool of films from York alumni. Regular pricing begins at $20 but the critically acclaimed films and star-studded red carpets are worth it.
Fasten your hipster overalls, as there’s a high probability they’ll get blown away by Iris Häussler: The Sophie La Rosière Project. Häussler constructs an intriguing narrative about the unknown French artist Sophie La Rosière. Häussler pushes the limits of novel and painting as her exhibit stretches over three Toronto venues. The multi-dimensional project opens at the Art Gallery of York, free to the public, between September 14 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and runs until December 11.
Late September calls for a mixed media exhibition by upper-level visual arts and art history students. Becca McGlashan and Sam Lowen play with concepts of time, space and memory as these concepts relate to personal and found objects using printmaking, photography and other mediums. The exhibit is free to attend and runs from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. between September 26 to 29 at the Joan and Martin Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts.
Our forecasts show that there is a 100 per cent chance of a Bulgarian and Balkan music system developing from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on September 29. World-class musicians will be playing traditional music and offering workshops as well. This is a rare and free phenomenon that does not happen often, so make sure to catch some tunes at the Martin Family Lounge on Keele campus.
That does it for this month’s artist forecast.