Deeter Schurig at ContainR
ContainR Cultural Space Arrives – Artists and Spectators on route!
What I’ve come to appreciate about artists is how they thrive through the act of pushing themselves and their audiences to see the world in ways unimagined - beyond the limitations of the box. Yet sometimes the box itself can incite inspiration with moments of artistic potentiality that reverberate well beyond intended boundaries.
The Fluid Festival’s ContainR is a captivating case in point – where the collaboration between an artist and architect has resulted in the transformation of everyday shipping containers into a distinct platform for spectators and performers to merge and collide. Set against the backdrop of a re-imagined East Village, ContainR brings theatre right to the village street, establishing a creative crossroads that activates the senses and one’s curiosity.
ContainR is at once visceral and inventive, metal boxes made compelling with artistic animations that spill beyond the limitations of walls, into public spaces, and ultimately beyond this viewer’s expectation. Kitted out with film and sound, visual media, and inventive performances - this installation showcases a unique blend of artistic creators whose commitment as cultural champions is evident in their art that enlivens the project.
Many unique partnerships are demonstrated like with those with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, WordFest, Museum of Contemporary Art Calgary, The Consulate of Mexico, Quickdraw Animation Society, La Caravan and emerging and established artists from Calgary, Canada and abroad who inhabit the numerous pop-up stages and art galleries. These experiences prompted by partnerships with Fluid Festival’s ContainR as a result are ample and diverse - just waiting to be explored and experienced by spectators on route.
2012 is clearly a remarkable time to be in Calgary and with art like ContainR our distinction as Cultural Capital is undisputed! This boundless box of art clearly highlights how artists can frame the entire city as a container of curiosity, where citizens and performers can connect through art in meaningful engagement, and where diverse partnerships have the limitless potential to activate our city as a remarkable place.
The Fluid Festival and ContainR runs October 10th until the 21st and if you blink you just might miss something remarkable!
Photo Credit: calgarious.com
Calgarious highlights all things architecture, art, design and interiors in and around Calgary through the architectural photography of James McMenamin
Guest Blogger: Deeter Schurig
Deeter Schurig is a Project Manager with cSPACE, a new social enterprise established to build, own, and operate a diverse portfolio of large-scale, multi-tenant creative workspaces. Projects include cSPACE King Edward an Arts Hub and Incubator under development in South Calgary.