The Lulu Series: Sans façon

Sans façon: Charles Blanc, Tristan Surtees
What’s art got to do with it?

With the participation of artists, can urban infrastructure designs be re-imagined to renew the relationship between citizens and their environment? Artist and architect duo, Sans façon, explore the relationship between people and places through site-specific projects such as performances and permanent pieces in public spaces, and strategies that involve artists in the rethinking of specific places. 

Currently, they are working on Watershed+, a city-wide program for the City of Calgary where artists and artistic practices are embedded within the City’s core activities, participating as members on infrastructure design teams, contributing to project design, development of events, community education and communication. They are also part of the design team for an urban park in Calgary, including temporary and permanent interventions.

Their Limelight: Saturday Night is a live public art installation and a video work. Since 2010, the installation has visited more than 10 cities internationally discreetly replacing two conventional street light heads with outdoor theatre spotlights, creating an open invitation for passersby to perform and transform the street into a stage. Look for it in Vancouver, beginning at dusk on Friday, January 25, and Saturday, January 26. There will be two simultaneous installations happening at Granville and Hastings Street and Granville and 68th Avenue in Marpole. This will be followed by a Community Event at the Metro Theatre on Sunday January 27, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. 1370 Marine Drive SW, Vancouver.

Sans façon began as an investigation between French architect Charles Blanc and British artist Tristan Surtees, and has developed into an ongoing collaboration through an art practice. Since then they have taken on a number of diverse projects, both temporary and permanent, to explore the relationship between people and place.

More at www.sansfacon.co.uk

This talk will be preceded by a short performance by award-winning Aboriginal cellist Cris Derksen. Cris is a rising star in the Canadian world/ classical/ folk/electronica scenes, known for weaving traditional classical training and her aboriginal ancestry with new school electronics to create genre-defying music. She has toured nationally and internationally, performing as a solo artist as well as performing her own compositions with Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq.

More at www.crisderksen.virb.com