As we navigated ongoing and rapidly changing public health restrictions over the past two years, including many closed indoor spaces and limits on indoor gatherings, outdoor activities have taken on greater importance. Going for walks with friends and family, attending open air theatre productions, and taking in public art installations and similar cultural events were all ways we safely connected with each other. The pandemic forced us all to rethink our use of outdoor spaces. Perhaps some of us spent more time outdoors than we had before. This was easy to do in the summer when the days are longer and warmer, but what about wintertime? Fortunately, there were a host of outdoor winter events available to enjoy. I interviewed the directors of two cultural events about why winter programming is important, the challenges they faced in producing the events, and what audiences can look forward to for the rest of this winter season.
Laura McLeod is the Director, Cultural Engagement Harbourfront Centre & Lead Producer, Nordic Bridges. Nordic Bridges is a year-long celebration of arts, culture, and ideas, connecting the Nordic Region – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland – and Canada. With key programming pillars of artistic innovation, accessibility and inclusion, Indigenous perspectives, and resilience and sustainability, Nordic Bridges aims to inspire artists and audiences from coast to coast. Nordic Bridges programming is planned across the country, all year long. Harbourfront Centre was awarded support for Nordic Bridges from the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2019. For the past three years, they have been collaborating with artists and arts companies from across the Nordic Region and Canada, to get ready for 2022 programming. Nordic Lights is already a huge hit with Toronto audiences. It features light art installations from Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland plus a free audio tour by an Icelandic author. Nordic Lights has been extended to February 21st. Even with some cold days we’ve had this month, Harbourfront is anticipating that thousands of people will enjoy Nordic Lights each night by the water as it’s a truly joyful way to safely engage with art this winter. Programming partners are also expecting high engagement over the coming weeks and months, as Toronto’s galleries re-open. The Power Plant has two Nordic spotlights available until May 1 to explore for free, with visual art exhibitions featuring Sasha Huber and Shona Illingworth. The Design Matters exhibition on art from Finland and Sweden runs until April. If film is more your speed, then check out TIFF’s spotlight on Swedish auteur Roy Andersson. The free, online February Nordic Talk, The Future of Black Youth on a Global Stage is available as of Feb. 24.
Nordic Lights (part of Nordic Bridges). 'CONTROL NO CONTROL' by Iregular. Photo by Brian Medina.
Sasha Huber, still of Rentyhorn, 2008. Video, 4:30 mins. Courtesy the artist and Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma. Photo by: Siro Micheroli.
McLeod says that our Nordic friends and colleagues are so good at embracing winter art and activities; Harbourfront is taking their lead on how to brighten up winter days, through art. There is an instinct in our part of the world to hibernate during the colder months but our friends in the Nordic countries often attribute their high level of happiness to community engagement and connection – whatever the weather! Winter weather can pose a unique challenge for arts programmers as experienced first-hand during the very snowy and cold Nordic Lights installation process. Of course, pandemic-related delays on artist travel, shipment of art, and building openings also posed challenges, shifting some Nordic Bridges events by weeks or months, but everything they planned will move ahead this year, and some events were able to shift online, thanks to a nimble team of programmers and guest speakers.
The best of Nordic Bridges is encountering new sounds, sights, textures, and ideas: audiences are encouraged to explore a genre they wouldn't normally explore. McLeod says, “You won’t be disappointed.” While Nordic Bridges as an initiative won’t extend past 2022, Harbourfront is already hearing from their arts partners about collaborations, productions and projects between Canadian and Nordic artists that will be programmed into future seasons. They hope that Canadian artists, through their connections with Nordic artists, go on to share their work in the Nordic Region, and that the investment they are making into legacy projects through knowledge sharing and development will inspire artists and audiences for many years to come.
Meanwhile in Québec, Manif d'art is getting ready for the 10th edition of The Québec City Biennial which is produced in collaboration with the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ). The event was originally scheduled for winter 2021 but was postponed to winter 2022 due to the pandemic. It starts on February 19th. Manif d’art is the only winter biennial in North America and features the works of over 100 local, national, and international artists. This year’s theme is Illusions are Real. Claude Bélanger, General and Artistic Director of Manif d'art – The Québec City Biennal says they had to make some changes but overall, more than 90% of the programming was kept. Concessions had to be made, but never on quality. To celebrate the 10th anniversary, they will be sharing footage of past biennials from recently unearthed VHS tapes, and Bélanger drops a hint that a monumental artwork will join the official Manif d’art 10’s programming for few days in March. “We will get the moon for Manif d’art 10 – The Quebec City Biennal! Surely nothing less than that. We can’t say anymore for now.”
Challenges of planning and delivering a winter biennial include facing the temperature and atmospheric elements daily such as snow, ice, or storms. Programming needs to be able to adapt quickly to deal with climate hazards. It’s quite common for snowblowers and shovels to be used when installing works outside. Technicians can dress warmly to face sub-zero temperatures but it’s not that simple for artworks. The Manif d'art – The Québec City Biennal team must think about conservation challenges related to the cold and snowstorms. The installation of public artworks always promises great stories to tell. Bélanger shares a story of having to call a tow truck to help their technicians who were stuck in the snow with a piece of art loaded in the truck. He’s thankful for good insurance and a good technical team. Another time, they had to dislodge a family of mice that were staying warm inside an inflatable artwork.
Film still from Pierre Huyghe’s A Journey That Wasn’t
Karine Payette, Espaces sans espèces III. Photo by Guy L’Heureux
At Manif d’art they believe that winter is part of our identity, and it defines our behavior and our understanding of reality. Bélanger says “It’s a very intense experience that we want to share with others. The resulting culture is very particular, and we have to take account of it. The beauty, the flavor and the cruelty of winter animate us. It contributes to the experience that the visitor feels during Manif d’art – The Quebec City Biennal. It is our culture! Cold, winter... it's in our DNA. It is our particularity. It is what differentiates us from other biennials around the world. Manif d'art – The Quebec City Biennal is more than exhibitions. It's a unique piece of "à la quebecoise" life that we invite you to live!”
Story by Glodeane Brown
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