Aptly named the MASSIVE Party, the Art Gallery Ontario’s annual fundraiser is regarded as one of the premiere events of the year. With Machine Age as this year’s guiding theme, the Massive Party explores our past, present, and future relationship with machines. Artists were invited to craft three distinct spaces throughout the AGO itself: Industrial, Digital and Space.
Signature cocktails and hors d’oeuvres kept the hundreds of guests fueled as they immersed themselves in unique art installations crafted exclusively for the event. Jon Sasaki took over the Concourse Level with a 250 foot long inflatable “smokestack,” coiling with a snake-like movement throughout the Education Commons that playfully reminiscences the depleted smokestack of the Industrial Age. On level 1 in the Walker Court Atrium, Trudy Elmore presents Looking Glass, a digital installation that challenges how digital manifestations have transformed our awareness and perceptions. Bodies in Motion, an installation by Harley Valentine was placed front and center at Baillie Court, the 3rd level is the last main gathering space of the event. Three large sculptural installations was enriched with dance performances by Svetlana Lunkina with choreography by Robert Binet, evoking a sense of constant change and movement.
Bodies in Motion by Harley Valentine with a performance by Svetlana Lunkina (National Ballet of Canada, principal dancer) choreographed by Robert Binet
Personal expression of style was also in full force as ambitious attendees interpreted what Machine Age fashion means to them. Local digital music provocateurs Carson Teal, DJ Steph Honey, Shifra Rifka, and Eric Moe provided the soundtrack for the evening as the movement inclined party-goers robot their way into the night.
Photos by Nick Lee
