July 17, 08 :

Outline of the proposed Toronto Biennale
& Art Residencies at 40 WABASH AVENUE
to
The Wabash Building Society
by the Toronto Biennale Group.




___________TORONTO BIENNALE & ART RESIDENCIES__________

THE WABASH BUILDING BECOMES THE HOME OF THE FIRST
YEAR ROUND TORONTO ARTIST RESIDENCIES AND THE
TORONTO BIENNALE

OUTLINE:

The art residencies would operate on an international, national,
and local level. They would be self sustaining in that all the
residencies would be rented and paid for by an interested country,
province, or city. When the biennale is run, every two years, the
residency rooms turn into the show rooms for the respective entities
that have rented them. The biennales could run summer and winter
in alternating fashion every two years.

THE BUILDING:

Residencies run the gamut but it would be best if the residencies
were live/work studios. This keeps both the residencies and the
building alive, vibrant, and safe 24/7. How the rooms and building
are set up to accomplish the dual task of housing a live/work
residency and a biennale are an architectural design issue.
An international design competition could be held.

The TBG group was attracted to the building because of its derelict
condition and were not asking for anything but the bare minimum
to bring it up to a level where it would pass all the safety standards.
So we would be asking for a restorative design that retained as much
of the ' grundge/charactor ' of the building as possible.

THE COMMUNITY:

The upper floors would hold the residencies and the basement would
be for the artist's various workshops but the grounds and much of the
ground floor would be mixed use: a sculpture garden, cafeteria, galleries,
theaters etc. The galleries and theaters would be for the artists in
residence to show their work to the public and for invited local, national,
and international curators, lecturers, and art historians to speak on
current topics of contemporary art and culture. Gallery space would be
rented to institutions like the Textile Museum as extensions to their
other locations. Artist run centers would be encouraged to rent space.

As history has shown in Toronto, art spaces and events have a
positive impact on the community. There is a large push to make
the residency/biennale light on car traffic. There would be no encouragement
for car usage; i.e. no parking lots and there would be heavy incentives
to encourage people to take public transport and bike. It was suggested
that a bus route could be rerouted down Wabash Avenue, also a shuttle
run from strategic parts of the city to the biennale/residencies.


FUNDING:

Optimally in time, all the spaces will pay for themselves through
rental. The initial funding and the operating costs of both the biennale
and the residencies will have to be raised through applications to the
various funding bodies, arts councils, corporate sponsorships -
international, local, and private: anyway we can.


THE TORONTO BIENNALE
(A descriptive text of the biennale, not a formal one yet):

Widely acknowledged as the centre of Canadian art practice,
Toronto is planning its first contemporary art biennale in 2010.
The Toronto Biennale responds to the ever increasing impact
of Toronto and its potential to provide a specific context for the
presentation of contemporary art. Characterized by its intuitive
insight into the art scene of the highly urbanized corridor region
of central Canada and the northern U.S.A., the biennale is planned
to take place from September to December 2010. With contributions
from international artists and Canadian provinces, the biennale will
incorporate exhibitions from art entities in Toronto. It represents a
first step in a larger profile of Toronto on the international art scene.

This biennale is built upon an innovative concept, which includes
the rehabilitation of a city-owned industrial site and the inauguration
of an international/national artists’ residency project. It is the result
of the collaboration of the Wabash Society and the Biennale group
under the conceptual umbrella devised by Antonia Lancaster. This
undertaking aims to cross traditional boundaries between biennales,
exhibitions, institutions, curators and artists and aims to radically
move away from the process in which artworks are produced,
presented, disseminated and contextualized. This biennale will
strive to present contemporary art in an exhibition developed and
curated by working artists rather than formalized institutions.

Thematically, the exhibition is linked to complex ideas emerging
from different modern complexities in a global context and their
implications on individuals and societies from around the world
and across the country. The project starts from the active
involvement of artists in this new global modern reality.

The relationship between participating groups will be demonstrated
and structured according to an aesthetic thematically built to one
another resulting in a productive exchange between the various
contemporary art positions, artworks and audiences. The biennale
will incorporate a variable geography into its sequence of space in
the newly recuperated venue. Local and transnational activities can
be perceived as a chain of travelling cultural worlds and idioms, a
network of incommensurable experiments in a global culture.
Utilizing the notion of a space of encounters, the biennale wants
to lay down a porous line between context and practice, form and
medium, artist and system, institution and locality.

It will include the participation of the Canadian provinces and cities
and international entities to become a truly pan-Canadian/international
event that in collaboration with other rejuvenated institutions will tie
the programme of the Toronto Biennale to the city of Toronto itself.



Rupen (TBG - Artist) - Some thoughts:

Particular consideration to the building being used as a project
that could only happen in a particular building. Sight line views
of unaltered parts of the building chosen for particular architectural
or previous use reasons to bring out the history, the ghost and
essence of the building. A custom fit of building and project with
a lower cost.

Strict mandate of untapped, bold, forward thinking ideas and practices,
omen-like in their energy. Ideas outside critically recognized
contemporary art approach. Idea above polish or talent,
message over medium.

A project that is open to the public not by business hours but
daylight, sunrise to sunset hours posted in print. First and last
day in which the doors are open 24 hours.

Find a way to award people who attend the biennale using
any mode of transportation other than private car. This could
include a one question survey : how did you get here and this
idea could also be tied into one of the projects by an artist
and/or room in the biennale.

The first project should be heavily advertised as free to all,
if not all the time then one day out of the week, Monday or Tuesday?


Carl (TBG - Gallerist/Curator) - Some thoughts:

The goal of the Toronto Biennale Group is to encourage
those artists and thinkers whose work illuminate the contemporary
human condition and question traditional values.

The work that the Toronto Biennale Group will be most interested
in will be of exceptional quality and of unusual nature so as
to attract the most innovative artists

The TBG is interested in supporting mediums of art
from all disciplines such as multi dimensional, film, music etc.

The T.B.G. should be open in seeking partnerships with not
for profit organizations.


Larry ( TBG - Graphic Designer/Musician ) - Some thoughts:

Every two years the residences end for three months to allow
the Biennale to take place.

Given that the building is very sound structurally, and that the roof is
presumably shot, when work on the building proceeds, a fourth floor
could be added, skillfully designed to fit with the rest of the building.

Wabash would be the permanent home and offices of the Biennale
although other locations and buildings are also used at the
time of the event.

Building would house a permanent gallery open to the public. This galley
would feature work done through the residency program. It could also host
events between Biennales to further promote the Biennale.

The outside space around the building should be part of the "complex", as a
sculpture garden/ outside meeting area/ outside work areas.

Biennale/Residency building should connect by tunnel under Wabash to the
residence building if the building across the street is bought as part of the over
all project.


__________TORONTO BIENNALE & ART RESIDENCIES____________