So I toured a bunch of CONTACT openings yesterday and the one show I’m getting behind isn’t even a part of the festival. FishNet: The Great Lakes Craft and Release Project is at the York Quay Centre at Harbourfront until June 22. In what is the most beautifully displayed exhibition I have ever seen — and I mean EVER — FishNet allows you to swim in a lake of textile fish made by students from 25 Toronto-based schools. This project is the culmination of the participation of about 2,000 students, teachers, artists and designers.
From the curatorial statement:
Here in the gallery, the release phase occurs when Harbourfront Centre, acting metaphorically as a fish hatchery, sponsors the ‘release’ of the crafted textile fish to the public, an activity which will ultimately underwrite fish habitat restoration and restocking programs in the Great Lakes — as well as extending an invitation to other schools within the Great Lakes bioregion to undertake similar projects.
The show is a brilliant manifestation of art and education, and the installation itself is the most innovative art display I’ve ever seen. Fishing wire is thread through the fish, and several fish are placed on each strand. The strands are hung in a grid pattern from the ceiling. The installation requires you to walk through narrow paths of the fish, which sway as you walk through them. It is completely immersive and magical. The fact that the textile fish were created by children who learned about the fish they were constructing makes the tactile quality of this show extremely appropriate and so well executed. There is no way to view this show without touching the fish. And the best part of the opening was watching how the kids interacted with the space.
I don’t even want to say much more. I think it’s so experiential that no words could do its magic justice. Just go!
While you’re there you can also enjoy Jenna Edwards’s Accumulated Histories and another interactive, interestingly-installed show called Sacred Spaces. Go before 6pm so you can also check out Power Plant for Sadie Benning’s Play Pause.
