Andy Paterson at John Snow House

“This is a historical building. It is heritage designated, which means by definition it is full of ghosts. And not only in the basement. The electricity is eccentric. The plumbing is erratic, and the internet is beyond erratic. It seems as if the analog world is trying to say something to the digital world. Or perhaps the analog world is experiencing its ninth and final life.”

LISTEN: Andy Paterson on John Snow House 1:50

Eduardo Oramas & Vicki Chau eat pop rocks.

On Wednesday evening at John Snow House, Andy Paterson gave a performative lecture on the history and archives of The New Gallery. It was well-attended by both artists and fans of local history, including ACAD instructor Shelley Ouellet and newly-arrived festival artists Nahed Mansour and Bojana Videkanic.

After the lecture, several artists stuck around drinking beer and discussing the festival. including Artistic Director Tomas Jonsson (who sat across from Paterson, giggling conspiratorially), New Gallery Administrative Director Su Strang, and JSH Director Kaylin Pearce.

After holding forth about the work of John Greyson and his fascination with squirrels, Andy listed a few of the videos his white lab coat had been featured in, including works by Greyson, Keith Cole, and a protest by AIDS Action Now.

Andy Paterson reading a poem, signed by one “K. Burns”, that he found in the New Gallery’s archives at John Snow House.

Burns vs. Paterson: Who wore their coat best?

As Iris Taylor, the Archivist’s Assistant, Kay Burns wore a stylish fitted lab coat with matching reading glasses and white cotton gloves.

For his performative lecture on October 24 at John Snow House, Andy Paterson sported a boxy style with a patch that read “Parkview Respiratory Care”, along with a blue checked dress shirt and dapper bow tie.

“I’m afraid she’s going to give performance art a bad name by fixating on the most sensational and stereotypical behaviour,” commented Artistic Director Tomas Jonsson. “She only mentions the art if it is messy, smelly or involves nudity!”

Festival blogger Megan Morman does not consider herself a writer, but rather a visual artist who makes performative, writing-based work. Sources say Morman was confirmed only a week before the festival started, after an early-morning meeting in which she swore she would do a good job reporting on M:ST’s nearly 60 artists.

Meanwhile, her roommate at John Snow House, video artist Andy Paterson (himself an experienced festival blogger), expressed concern over Morman’s excessive coffee consumption and erratic sleeping patterns.

Morman can be seen at most festival events, giggling and gesturing to herself while scribbling in a small notebook and poking confusedly at the buttons on her camera.

Bjorn Neukom’s purple baggies and orange duct tape will probably not lead to any lawsuits.

Sunday evening’s cabaret had been ravaged by several particularly messy performances. The strong smell from Björn Neukom‘s baggies filled with purple Pine Sol led to allegations of poisoning. In addition, flying chocolate sauce–both indoors and out–left disgruntled audience members with dry-cleaning bills.

Ironically, audience members could be heard commenting after MacKenzie Boyle & Karly Mortimer‘s performance that the sauce in their vase would have been stronger, conceptually, as cow or ox blood. As every fan of performance art knows, blood is both smellier and tougher to clean.

David Frankovich at the University of Lethbridge

Earlier in the day, the snow held off for Dong’s and Frankovich’s performances at the University of Lethbridge. Fans will be heartened to hear that the female roommate of the young man who shouted gay and trans-phobic slurs at Frankovich during hour 4 of the performance came out and apologized for his behaviour.

Dick Averns‘ caravan left the Epcor Centre shortly after 10:30am on Sunday. Missing was the vehicle carrying Les Fermières Obsédées, reportedly driven by a chronically-speeding, caffeine-addict volunteer. The caravan stopped in Claresholm for lunch at Roy’s Place, which sported a sign saying “Hippies Use Backdoor”.

MacKenzie Boyle & Karly Mortimer

After the lecture and performances at the SAAG, festivalgoers walked and drove around the city to half a dozen closed-for-Sunday-night bars before ending up at TenTen on Mayor Magrath Drive. The kitchen was closed, but artists munched on free popcorn and told stories of puking during and after performances.

An informant emailed this photo of Randy Gledhill to artgossip.ca.

At TenTen, Randy Gledhill made good on his promise to finish Wednesday’s story of his road trip with the Hell’s Angels. In this episode, they save him from another run-in with gayhippy-bashing cowboys, and, as thanks, he gets them high on weed.

Near the end of the night, confusion over where the visiting artists would stay became acute as people grew tired and tipsy. “I have no fucking idea where I am and I have no idea where I’m supposed to be!” exclaimed Andy Paterson. Artistic Director Tomas Jonsson left to book a hotel room while Sarah Jane Christensen ordered Domino’s pizza delivery directly to the bar.

The audience mills around between performances at the Old Y Centre on Wednesday night.

Johanna Householder stopped by John Snow House to chat with Andy Paterson (in residence while developing a performance based on JSH’s extensive archival holdings), John Snow House Director Kaylin Pearce, and I. People fawned over Toronto performance festival 7a*11d‘s promotional material designed by Zab Hobart, and gossiped about previous JSH residents LIDS (Anthea Black, Nicole Burish and Wednesday Lupypciw).

During his performance at the Oly Y Centre on Wednesday evening, Randy Gledhill promised attendees at Sunday’s Performance Cabaret at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery a story about the time he got picked up by the Hell’s Angels. It’s sure to be a fabulous time, and the audience would be well-advised to keep an eye out for flying objects.

“He’s helping me fulfill all my fantasies!” gushed Terrance Houle, of being asked to assist in Gledhill’s performance by donning a white cowboy hat and shouting slurs out of the back of a pickup truck. Watch for more on Wednesday’s performances coming soon.

Chun Hua Catherine Dong and Cindy Baker in front of Chumpon Apisuk’s table of salt and yarn.