I have been a fan of container art spaces for some time, having seen some fascinating installations in other cities, so when Nicole approached our office about bringing containR to Calgary, I was thrilled to help.  Nicole’s vision, to connect communities through public installations of “pop-up art”, fits beautifully with work already happening in Calgary.  

I went to RiverWalk Plaza to watch the containRs being placed, and was struck by how suddenly a once-empty space is becoming a “village”. These containRs provide intimate venues for all sorts of performances, and give the performers freedom to experiment in a portable environment. Because of their portability, the containRs can bring culture to emerging areas like East Village. Just watching the set-up is a show in itself: a containR container ballet! Don’t worry if you miss the set-up though, there will be plenty to see in the containRs during Fluid Festival.

The containRs are a great addition to the Fluid Festival, and it is wonderful to have such a successful venture from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Cultural Olympiad in Calgary during our Cultural Capital of Canada celebrations.

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Druh Farrell is in her fourth term as alderman for Ward 7.