xpace cultural centre

Proposal Workshop

Alicia — Sat, 12 May 2012 16:00:14 +0000

Hi all,

XPACE has an upcoming Submissions deadline on May 25th, 2012. We will be programming for the Main Space, Window Space, XBASE and the External Space (located on OCAD campus) based on the submissions we receive.

We will be holding a Proposal Workshop for help with the planning and writing of your project proposal. You can download a PDF application form from our website here:
www.xpace.info/submit

Bring in your project proposals (completed or partial) and we can give you feedback! It is also a great idea to check out the spaces themselves so you have a better idea of where your project would potentially work the best.

The workshop is free and open to anyone! Starts at 1pm.

The Alternative Tentacle 7

Alicia — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:37 +0000

Featuring student work from 9 of Toronto’s alternative highschools, The Alternative Tentacle returns for its 7th consecutive exhibition at Xpace. This remarkable show inhabits Xpace’s Main Space, Window Space and XBASE with a variety of works, including video and audio works, sculptures, drawings, paintings, prints, t-shirts, skateboard decks and much more.

Poster by Lauren at Oasis

Dip and Tie Dye Stuff n’ Such Workshop

Alicia — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:00:45 +0000

Dip into Spring!
We will be having a Dip Dye and Tie Dye workshop to make cooooooool new patterns, colours and styles for your clothes. Bleach your jeans for a ship wrecked look! Dip Dye an old blouse or buton up shirt to make a beautiful gradient! Tie dye some socks for a great addition to any outfit! You could even bring bed sheets, a tote bag or canvas shoes…..imagine the possibilities they are INFINITE
-Tie dye any kind of pattern with any combination of colours
-Use a spray bottle with dye for a speckled look
-make a simple gradient with any colour, or dip a coloured fabric into bleach
-Spray bleach onto black denim for a Galactic Look

We will provide coloured dyes (Dylon cold water dyes), bleach, rubber gloves, spray bottles and elastic bands for tying fabrics for tie-dye.

YOU BRING: any clothing item you would like to dye. Keep in mind that 100% white or light coloured Cotton works best for dyeing, but other fabrics that are ok include: Linen, Rayon, Bamboo, Silk. Natural fabrics are better as opposed to synthetic, although I have used synthetic fabrics in the past, they just don’t hold as well.

***Workshop is dependent on weather, as we will need to bleach outside. Rain date will be Saturday, May 19th.

Illustrator Workshop with Carolyn Tripp

Alicia — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:08:00 +0000

Illustrator Workshop at XPACE!

This Illustrator (and some Photoshop!) workshop will teach you all of the “101″ type things you need to know about these Adobe programs. Some specific things we’re going to cover is how to set up a document, shape manipulation, photo importing, image processing, what all those keyboard shortcuts do, document layout and more. This workshop is three hours long with a break in the middle. We’ll be starting at 1pm sharp, so be sure to get there on time! Bringing a laptop will be extremely helpful to each participant, but it’s not mandatory. If you can buddy up with somebody else’s computer and take turns trying things out, that would be good, too.

Q: What is this good for?
A: Your next gallery show invite, your zines and bookworks, posters, and other publications. It’s also extremely helpful to acquaint yourself with Adobe software. A lot of the basic functions are similar and it will be easier to learn other programs if you already know one or two.

Q: What should I bring besides myself?
A: A laptop if you have one (with a mouse!), a notepad, a pen, and some coffee (no spilling).

Q: Can I contact someone if I questions before/after the workshop?
A: Yes, you can e-mail Carolyn here: trippcar@gmail.com

*****Cost for this workshop is $10. Please RSVP by email by April 12th to alicia@xpace.info if you would to attend. We will cap the workshop at 16, so be sure to sign up early, as spots with go fast.

WingDing: DIY Terrarium & Sand-Art Workshop

Alicia — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:00:09 +0000

Hey guys spring is almost here! well sort of…
To get through these last weirdly mild and gray dismal days (Seasonal Affective Disorder? anyone? anyone?) XPACE is holding a DIY Terrarium and Sand Art workshop!! Let the sun in alreaaaady

A terrarium is a miniature landscape with living plants, contained in a glass vessel of your choosing. We will also be experimenting with layering and swirling coloured sand into the glass vessels!

We will provide:
Potting soil, stones/glass beads, coloured sand and glass vessels (in all shapes and sizes)

You should bring:
A plant or assortment of plants. You can use any kinds of plants, but it’s best to pick ones that need the same amount of water. You can also make terrariums with cacti, succulents, moss, flowering plants…really anything! also, if you have a glass vessel you have in mind (a mason jar, goblet, jar, fancy glass, liquor bottle, condiment jar etc) we encourage you to bring that too.

Also there will be special decor for the event! LAVA LAMPS!!
Come by for an afternoon of plant therapy. Bring a bud, or two!

~poster by Andrea Manica~

Bending Over Backwards & Flogging a Dead Horse

Alicia — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:35:20 +0000

Over a period of two years Hannah Enkel has collected various items and observations while working as a house cleaner. Taken from the vacuum bags of the houses Hannah Enkel cleans at, this project is a collection of those contents. Enkel has created an archive: contained, dated and labelled with descriptive observations of situations involving the stranger’s belongings seen at these houses. Cleaning houses has given her the opportunity to inhabit stranger’s intimate spaces and form opinions about them from the things that they own, as well as their (often strange) habits. Collecting both observations and debris that is obviously unwanted; (fallen food, dust, hair etc.) and placing them in the same container, highlights Enkel’s seemingly invisible role within private spaces that have been made public through her presence.

10 Second Objects

Alicia — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:15:37 +0000

Using constructed and found images, Belerique aims to disclose and reveal photography’s ability to transform through work based on light and illusion. She employs photographic tropes highlighting its construction and materiality over subject. Her interest is primarily in the experience of a shifting perspective in the search for possible meanings. In the work 10 Second Objects Belerique bends over backwards to bridge the gap between ‘being’ and ‘performing’.

Yesterday’s Today, Tomorrow (in conjunction with Images Festival)

Alicia — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:01:08 +0000

Yesterday’s Today, Tomorrow investigates impermanence and the recontextualization of art and history through digital media. The artists in this exhibition reference historical means of representation and delineate contemporary modes of interpretation in the information age. Each artist emphasizes the presence of historical documents and/or methodologies in art and culture through appropriation and process-based initiatives. The execution and representation of these subjects are unified by their ephemerality, exhibited through the contingent ambiguities of their content, physical properties, and separation from their historical context. Impermanence is perpetuated by technological developments in production as well as the various devices mediating such experiences. Yesterday’s Today, Tomorrowis both transient and contingent – a precarious affiliation with both yesterday and tomorrow.

FEAST 04

Alicia — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 17:00:47 +0000

COME FEAST WITH US!Tickets for FEAST 04 are now on sale.

FEAST is happening Sunday, March 25, 2012 at XPACE Cultural Centre from 6-10 PM.

Menu Teaser: Maple

What it is:

FEAST (Funding Engaging Actions with Sustainable Tactics) Toronto is a series of community dinners and micro-funding events. During each dinner, artists, designers and groups are invited to present proposals for art- or design-based projects. Everyone attending the dinner votes on which project they would like to fund, and the project with the most votes is given a grant from the money raised from the ticket sales.

The ticket cost for the locally-sourced, vegetarian dinner is a sliding scale of $20-30 (and $10 for students with valid student ID).

FEAST works on the basis that the more that people can share, the larger the grants we can collectively provide. Since our first FEAST, we’ve funded five projects with almost $3000. Toronto’s FEAST is in its infancy. With your support we hope to see this event continue to grow.

How it works:

1. Buy a ticket for the dinner on March 25, 2012 at XPACE Cultural Centre
2. Enjoy dinner and conversation with your friends and community
3. Over the course of dinner people present project proposals for your consideration
4. Everyone votes for which project they would like to fund
5. The project with the most votes is funded from the money raised from ticket sales

Tickets are first come, first serve so get your tickets now!

Tickets are available in-person at XPACE Cultural Centre, 58 Ossington Avenue, Toronto, Tuesday through Saturday, 12-6 PM. Cash only.
Unfortunately we are unable to reserve tickets until they have been paid for. Please pick up your ticket in advance of March 25th.

Contact XPACE at 416 849 2864
Contact FEAST at info@feast-toronto.com.

Chose

Alicia — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:00:31 +0000

Chose (a play on words from the English verb, to choose; and the French noun, thing) is a series of collages composed from individual wood sculptures. These painted plywood cutouts resemble various familiar objects. Stripped of their function, these ‘symbols’ are reminiscent of commercial signage, and inspired by the decorated facades of working class churches in Toronto. Chose creates a lexicon of personal iconography, intentionally vague in meaning.

This project was generously funded through the Toronto Arts Council.