Tag Archive: Installation


Everything starts tomorrow…

We’re almost ready to hit the start button. Tomorrow at noon “The Sound is Watching You” begins it’s month long residency at the NAISA Space at Artscape Wychwood Barns, and to say that we’re totally excited is a major understatement!  We’ve worked really hard to create something very special and we hope that you’ll be able to share it with us. So as the countdown to showtime nears its end, we thought we’d take a few minutes to clarify and reiterate a few things from earlier posts that people have been asking us over the last few days;

1) In keeping with SubZeroArts’ ideal of audience interaction, “The Sound is Watching You” is a multimedia experience that’s fun and engaging for audience members of all ages. It’s suitable for the whole family and we encourage you to bring your kids to experience it if you’d like.

2) “The Sound is Watching You” is being presented in the NAISA Space at Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie Street, Studio #252, Toronto, Ontario.  Visiting hours for the installation are as follows;

Fri January 18 – 12-3 pm
Sun January 20 – 12-5 pm
Friday January 25 – 12-3 pm
Friday February 1 – 12-3 pm
Saturday February 2 – 10-3 pm
Friday February 8 – 12-3 pm
Saturday February 9 – 10-3 pm
Friday February 15 – 12-3 pm
Saturday February 16 – 10-3 pm
Monday February 18 – 1-4 pm

3) “The Sound is Watching You” is a free installation for you to enjoy! There’s no admission fee so if you’re thinking that bringing your family of eight will empty out your wallet, think again!  You can drop by during visiting hours and there’s no charge to see it!

4) Admittedly some of our regular readers may not have the chance to fly overseas to Toronto to experience “The Sound is Watching You” for themselves.  Rest assured that we’ll do our best to document the installation so you’ll all be able to see what we’re talking about!

So now we do all that last minute night before opening stuff, and then we’re up bright and early to do all the fine tuning that gets done at the eleventh hour.  We hope that we’ll see some of you at the show!

Rik and Deane/SubZeroArts

Add us on Twitter @SubZeroArts or Like us on Facebook to keep up with details about “The Sound is Watching You”!

 

 

All systems are go…

So.  We are just about ready.  All of the programs are working, visuals are looking fine, and pretty soon we’ll be ready to press the start button.  On Friday January 18th “The Sound is Watching You” goes live at NAISA!

Needless to say, there are about five billion things that we still have to do, but we are on track to have them all done.  Speaking of which, a very important thing for us to do is to confirm what hours the NAISA Space will be open for you to see the show!  Hours are as follows;

Fri January 18 – 12-3 pm
Sun January 20 – 12-5 pm (This is the official Art’s Birthday Celebration and our official opening!)
Friday January 25 – 12-3 pm
Friday February 1 – 12-3 pm
Saturday February 2 – 10-3 pm
Friday February 8 – 12-3 pm
Saturday February 9 – 10-3 pm
Friday February 15 – 12-3 pm
Saturday February 16 – 10-3 pm
Monday February 18 – 1-4 pm

If you come by on Friday January 18th or Sunday January 20th we’ll be at the site to meet with you and chat about the event, so come on by and say hello!  We’ll be in and out on other days as well, but even if we’re not there to visit with, you’ll still be able to enjoy the installation.

While we’re at it, NAISA’s space is located at Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie Street, Studio #252

See you there!

Rik and Deane/SubZeroArts
Add us on Twitter @SubZeroArts or Like us on Facebook to keep up with details about “The Sound is Watching You”!

Moving Shadows on the Wall…

During preparations for “The Sound is Watching You” we’ve spent a lot of time figuring out projector throw ratios and sizing staging areas.  We have blisters from frequent tape measure use, and we’re a little concerned that we’re getting grid views burned into our retinas.  But it’s all coming together very nicely, and we’re getting more excited each day to be able to share “The Sound is Watching You” with all of you!

By the way, we’ve found that a number of you would like to help us out with this installation, but you’re not really sure what you can do.  Apparently a number of you would like to help us hang cables, but so far we’ve got all that stuff covered off (thanks for the offers though!).  One thing you can definitely do to help us out is to spread the word about “The Sound is Watching You”!  Tell your friends about us, maybe even suggest that they follow us on Facebook or Twitter.  Perhaps you’d like to add one of our lovely banners to your Facebook page, or your blog, or what have you. Feel free to grab one from the selection below;

Needless to say, the best way to support what we do is to come and experience “The Sound is Watching You” for yourself!

We’d love to see you there!

Rik and Deane/SubZeroArts

 

Getting to know the space…

Yesterday we anounced that our installation “The Sound is Watching You” would be presented at the NAISA Space as part of their 2013 Art’s Birthday Celebrations.  We’re very excited about this opportunity and judging from the response we’ve received so far, it seems like a number of you are too!  We hope that we’ll see you all at the show when it opens later this week. In addition to making announcements, yesterday was also spent getting to know the space.  There’s a lot of stuff that has to be done before we open the doors, not the least of which is getting to know the space…

Each space has it’s own advantages and disadvantages, and getting to know the space beforehand is a crucial part of preparation.  You need to figure out if you’ve got enough cables, or if you need to get connectors.  You need to measure the distance between electrical outlets and make sure that you have working wifi.  Getting to know the space is when you find out if you need to borrow a ladder or if you’re going to be balancing on rickety tables.  Getting to know the space is really Really REALLY important.  So yesterday we got to know the NAISA Space where we’ll be presenting “The Sound is Watching You”.

And we think it’s a really great Space!

Among other things like measurements and checking wifi and testing connections and locating bathrooms, we spent a fair bit of time hanging cables.  Hanging cables isn’t a colloquialism or art-speak or anything, it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like, it’s getting up on a ladder and roping cables through lighting grids and looping it around pipes and hiding it behind curtains and making sure that everything connects the way it’s supposed to. After getting to know the space, hanging cables is pretty much the second most important thing involved in the preparation of any installation.

We feel you should know that the third most important step to prepare an installation is to find the nearest coffee shop.  Really.  You need to know where to get coffee.  And sugary treats.  These things are crucial.

So yesterday we did all those things to prepare for our installation. And having done them, we’re pretty confident that we can bring it all together in time to open at the end of the week.  We know the space, we’ve hung the cable, and there’s a Starbucks around the corner within walking distance.  We are officially ready to present “The Sound is Watching You”, and we look forward to seeing you there!

 

Photographic Evidence

It’s been a little while since we last posted, so we thought we should check in with you all to say hello. We’ve been very flattered by all of the kind emails and messages we’ve received from you over the last few weeks about LIGHTSOUNDPLAY! and we’ve really appreciated seeing your photos too!   Here are a few of our favorites so far;

Photo by Ashley Fraser, The Ottawa Citizen

Photo by Jackie Dunne

Photo by Billy Logan

We were also very flattered to see LIGHTSOUNDPLAY! mentioned very favorably on Billy Logan’s Blog and on the Shantitea site. Thanks to our new friends Billy and Amanda for your kind words!

If you have any photos/video or posts about LIGHTSOUNDPLAY! we’d love to see them.  You can mail us care of info@subzeroarts.com

So perhaps you’re wondering what SubZeroArts is going to be doing next? Well, we’re currently planning our next move so it’s still a bit early to say, but certainly you’ll be the first to know when we announce it.  In the meantime you may be interested to know that our musical project Kalte will be opening for Steven Severin in London, Ontario on November 9th and Toronto, Ontario on November 10th.  Mr. Severin will be performing his new score to the classic film Vampyr and we’re honoured to be able to share a stage with one of our heroes.

We do hope that you’ll be able to join us at one of the shows or, if you’re not able to make it, we hope that you’ll keep in touch and let us know what you’ve been doing!

Rik and Deane/SubZeroArts

PS While we’re talking about keeping in touch, if you haven’t already why don’t you add us on Twitter @SubZeroArts or Like us on Facebook?  Thx!

Thank you Nuit Blanche Ottawa!

Congratulations Ottawa! What an amazing evening of arts and entertainment! SubZeroArts is honoured to have been part of your first Nuit Blanche and we are totally thrilled that so many visitors enjoyed LIGHTSOUNDPLAY!

LIGHTSOUNDPLAY!

We’d like to thank Megan, Lainie and Stefan of the Nuit Blanche team for inviting SubZeroArts to participate in this fantastic event, and Jason, Kathleen and everyone else at SAW Gallery for hosting us.

But most of all, we’d like to thank everybody that came out to take part in LIGHTSOUNDPLAY!, especially all of you that told your friends about us and then came back to show them that we really were as impressive as you said!

We designed LIGHTSOUNDPLAY! to be an environment created by everyone — an interactive experience that was as unique as the people that participated in it — and it was YOU that made it into such an awesome spectacle!

Thank you again. We have big plans and big ideas in store for you for 2013 and we hope that you’ll be there when they’re unveiled! Be sure to keep in touch with SubZeroArts by liking us on Facebook, or by adding us on Twitter, or by following our Tumblr.

All the best,
Rik and Deane of SubZeroArts
http://www.subzeroarts.com

P.S. SubZeroArts is 100% artist-funded, so if you’d like to support LIGHTSOUNDPLAY! with a monetary donation, we would gladly accept any contribution — large or small — with our utmost thanks and gratitude. Visit our donations page to find out more.

It won’t be long now…

Screens and projectors? Check!
Cameras? Check and Check!
Mac, firewire, cables and power bars packed? Check!
SubZeroArts homework printed out? Check!
SZA buttons made? (Eep, don’t tell Deane, but I haven’t started on those yet…)
Duct tape? Check and double check!

So the graphic test has been completed and all the gear is packed and ready to go. Today we bought a drill and 40 feet of copper wire, and we’re about as ready as we’ll ever be. We’ll be leaving Toronto tomorrow morning and we’ll be setting up Saturday afternoon in anticipation of Nuit Blanche Ottawa 2012 on Saturday night.

To say that we’re excited is an understatement, and we wanted to thank all of you for your support and encouragement and well wishes and donations and everything. We’re very lucky to have such an amazingly supportive group of friends and fans and followers, and we hope we’ll see a bunch of you at the SAW Gallery on Saturday night. And for those of you that can’t make it out, we’ll be sure to take lots of pictures and video and stuff so you can live the LIGHTSOUNDPLAY! experience vicariously through us!

BTW, it’s not too late to tell your friends about us, or to make a donation, or to ask them to like our facebook page or to follow us on Twitter!

Anyway, we probably won’t have much chance to update here between now and the event, but we’ll be live tweeting the whole experience on our twitter feed @subzeroarts using the hashtag #szanbo12. We hope you’ll follow along with us through the weekend.

We’d also like to thank the very kind people at Artengine who very thoughtfully mentioned LIGHTSOUNDPLAY! as being an installation of particular interest. We hope that we’ll not only live up to your expectations but surpass them!

Gotta run, those buttons aren’t going to make themselves…

Rik and Deane/SubZeroArts

It’s Alive!

There is a point in every project where you just don’t know if you can pull it together, where doubt starts to creep in and you just don’t know if you can do it.

multi-cam-test

We are happy to report that the picture above proves that we can pull it together. And it will be AWESOME!!!

One week tonight on September 22nd, LIGHTSOUNDPLAY! debuts at the Saw Gallery as part of Nuit Blanche Ottawa 2012. We hope you’ll be able to join us.

Still interested in helping us out behind the scenes?  Find out what you can do to help!

Rik and Deane/SubZeroArts

PS  Like SubZeroArts on Facebook, add us on Twitter @subzeroarts, or follow us on Tumblr to keep in touch with us!

 

There’s something very satisfying about seeing a completed technical drawing.

It makes things seem more real.

We have a few more drawings to share with you over the next few days, so be sure to check back and see LIGHTSOUNDPLAY! coming to life!

We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has been kind enough to support our project over the last few weeks. Whether you retweeted a message, or donated a few dollars, or liked us on Facebook, it’s all been really helpful, and very much appreciated! If you’d like to keep doing it we’d be very grateful, and if you’ve been meaning to help us out but haven’t figured out what to do we would happily direct you to our post “So What Can I Do to Help?“.

Rik and Deane/SubZeroArts

PS  Like SubZeroArts on Facebook, add us on Twitter @subzeroarts, or follow us on Tumblr to keep in touch with us!

 

Less than two weeks? Ack!

Today is Sunday September 9th, which means that Nuit Blanche Ottawa is less than two weeks away. Really? Can that be true? TWO WEEKS?!!?!?!?!!!?

SubZeroArts at Nuit Blanche Ottawa 2012

Ahem, yes, it’s less than two weeks until the debut of LIGHTSOUNDPLAY! and despite our apparent inability to read the calendar, things are moving along according to plan, we’ve been able to apply our newly-discovered knowledge of fabrics and pvc tubing, we’re on target with workplans, and we’re generally feeling pretty good about how everything is falling into place. So really, we’re not sweating or anything.

Well, maybe a little…

Anyway, in the time between other things we’ve started a SubZeroArts Tumblr account as we thought it would be a nice way to share all of the great art we’ve discovered looking through the Nuit Blanche Ottawa site with you, as well as posting other things of interest that we find as we poke around the internet. It seems like a really interesting community, and we encourage you to follow us there if you’re into the whole Tumblr scene. And if you can tell us what we’re doing wrong when we post music links we’d be most grateful…

We’d also like to take a minute to say thank you to everybody who’s acted on our “What Can I Do to Help?” post from last week, we really appreciate all of your support! If you haven’t had the chance to check out the post, it basically outlines how you can help us make LIGHTSOUNDPLAY! the best possible presentation that it can be, so, y’know, give it a look and let us know if there’s anything you can do to help.

Okay, gotta run, we still have 54,343,231 things left to do in the next two weeks, but we hope that you’ll keep in touch with us as we always enjoy hearing from you.  Talk soon!

Rik and Deane/SubZeroArts

PS  Like SubZeroArts on Facebook, add us on Twitter @subzeroarts, or follow us on Tumblr to keep in touch with us!

 

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