Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre -

Modern Fuel presents Rachel Kalpana James’ “Borderline”

michael — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:58:39 -0600

Mar 1, 2012 -- Mar 4, 2012

In association with the Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Modern Fuel is proud to present
Rachel Kalpana James’ “Borderline” as an off-site video installation. Modern Fuel is excited to partner with the festival again after the success of its presentation of experimental video in the 2011 edition of the festival. The partnership between Modern Fuel and the Festival is meant to promote new media and experimental work, add to the dynamic cultural scene in Kingston, and represent the breadth of artistic activity in Canada.

Rachel Kalpana James’ art practice is inspired by her South Asian heritage, immigrant history and the search for belonging. “Borderline” is a two-channel digital video projection that offers, on one screen, a view of the nightly border-closing ceremony that takes place in the few feet between eastern Pakistan at Wagah and northern India at Amritsar. Juxtaposed on a separate screen is a contrasting view of the artist’s solitary and surprisingly casual walk across the India/Pakistan border, as permitted by the bittersweet privilege of the right documentation.

Rachel Kalpana James explores constructed systems and ideas of language, history and memory primarily through installation - using bookmaking, photography, video, digital technologies and performance. She has worked as a cultural activist/artist with many grassroots organizations to develop a strong community centred on contemporary art and cultural diversity. She was the Co-Director of Desh Pardesh, Toronto's groundbreaking South Asian Festival of Arts and Politics, and a founding member and Director of Toronto's South Asian Visual Arts Collective (SAVAC), the only artist-run centre in Canada supporting South Asian professional visual artists.

The video installation will be a free presentation as part of the Kingston Canadian Film Festival’s scheduled events from March 1 to March 4, 2012.

Vapours Concert with Hector Centeno, Andrea Jane Cornell, and Matt Rogalsky

michael — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:32:58 -0600

Feb 25, 2012 -- Feb 25, 2012

When: Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 8pm
Where: Modern Fuel Gallery, 21 Queen St., Kingston ON
Admission: $5-10 sliding scale.

Modern Fuel, with support from CFRC and the Canada Council for the Arts, presents the latest installment in its Vapours series of experimental music, a concert of experimental sounds performed through an 8-speaker diffusion system that will feature works by Hector Centeno (Toronto, ON), Andrea Jane Cornell (Montreal, QC) and Matt Rogalsky (Kingston, ON) on Saturday, February 25th, at 8pm. Vapours is a regular concert series hosted by Modern Fuel that provides an alternative space for exploratory musical performances and promotes emerging experimental musicians both locally and nationally.

Kingston’s Matt Rogalsky works in the areas of live electroacoustic music and sound installation. In addition to playing electric guitar with The Gertrudes, and recording and producing releases for Kingston bands like Madam Raz, Sleuth Bears and PS I Love You, Rogalsky’s recent activity includes solo electronic music performances in Canada, Cuba, the USA, Scotland and England, and group installation/performance work with Composers Inside Electronics in Mexico and New York. Rogalsky will be presenting some new “experimental electronics” for his performance at Modern Fuel.

Montreal’s Andrea Jane Cornell is manipulator of gleaned sounds who likens the sonorities of the every day to an assemblage of musical instruments randomly orchestrated by its inhabitants. Her performance at Modern Fuel will be an homage to the broadcast technology that has provided her with countless opportunities to territorialize the range of a 5000 watt transmitter with sounds that have baffled, frightened, insulted, soothed, annoyed, and delighted unknown listeners. Cornell has a background in campus and community radio and electroacoustic composition and a holds a master's degree in Media Studies from Concordia University.

Hector Centeno is a music composer, sound artist and digital media designer originally from Mexico and currently living in Toronto Canada. For his performance at Modern Fuel, Centeno will be improvising an acoustic journey through an imaginative landscape. To recreate the sense of space, sounds will be diffused through a multichannel system surrounding the audience. His improvisational procedure is inspired by Zen Buddhist art. Sound textures will gradually change and give place to new ones in an abstract soundscape journey that seeks to mirror the way the constant change and flow of reality is perceived through deep listening of our acoustic environment.

Doors will open at Modern Fuel at 8pm with performances starting at 9. Tickets are sliding scale at the door from $5 to $10.

Image: Andrea Jane Cornell.

For further information, contact:
Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre
21 Queen St, Kingston, ON, K7K 1A1
(613) 548-4883
modernfuel@bellnet.ca

SHHHorts Program at Reelout

michael — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:04:49 -0600

Modern Fuel is the proud sponsor of SHHHorts, a program of six short videos by emerging Canadian and US filmmakers presented by Reelout Queer Film + Video Festival.

Reelout exists to celebrate queer media arts and to contribute to community vitality by programming materials that focus on issues of sexuality, race, culture, religion, class, gender, ability, health and age, thereby purposefully drawing together and initiating challenging dialogue among disparate members of the queer communities in Kingston and the surrounding area as well as between the larger Kingston community and the queer community.

The SHHHorts program features the Canadian Premiere of "The Glitter Emergency," an award-winning silent-film drag ballet comedy that features its director Paul Festa as a Tchaikovsky-violin-playing demon and the sad story of a peg-leg ballerina. Paul Festa will be on hand to provide live musical accompaniment.

The show starts at 2pm on Sunday, February 5th, at the Screening Room (120 Princess Street, Kingston, ON).

For more information on details of the program go to the Reelout listing: http://www.reelout.com/Reelout13/Programs/prog26.shhhorts.php

Image: Paul Festa, "The Glitter Emergency" (still), 2010.

Full-Time Job Opportunity at Modern Fuel

michael — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:11:00 -0600

Modern Fuel Artist Run Centre is seeking a motivated and organized individual for the full time position of Administrative Director at the Centre, to start at the beginning of March 2012.

A catalyst for cultural activity in Kingston, Ontario, Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre is in its 35th year of operations. Modern Fuel is a not-for-profit Artist-Run Centre facilitating the presentation, interpretation, and production of contemporary visual, time-based and interdisciplinary arts. Modern Fuel supports innovation and experimentation, and is committed to the education of interested publics and the diversification of its audiences.

Position Summary: The Administrative Director reports to the Board of Directors and is the lead administrator for Modern Fuel, sharing a co-directorship with the Artistic Director. The Administrative Director is a full-time position, ensuring effective development and implementation of organizational goals and strategies, overseeing the Centre’s finances including grant writing and fundraising, recruiting and training all short-term contracts, interns and volunteers and assisting the Artistic Director in the coordination of all Modern Fuel programming. The Administrative Director will promote effective management and growth of Modern Fuel’s programs and facilities, support its objectives, and work to enhance its position

This position is a renewable, 12-month contract, for 35 hours per week and offers health and dental benefits. Gallery hours of Tuesday to Saturday from 12 to 5pm function as the core hours of the position at 25 hours per week and meetings, events, and duties outside of gallery hours contribute to a work week of 35 hours (on average).

Summary of Key Responsibilities:

- Perform basic administrative functions such as office organization and management, filing, record keeping, backing up computers, and purchasing office supplies
- Oversee and maintain timelines for all grant applications and grant reports and in collaboration with Artistic Director prepare and write all operating and project grants and all grant reports. Research and apply for funding opportunities for all administrative programs, including: staffing, office equipment and resource upgrades, strategic or capacity building initiatives, facility improvements.
- Develop and maintain relevant organizational policies and practices such as Board Orientation, HR policies, Strategic Plan, Facility strategies etc.
- Oversee all financial planning and management, reporting to the Treasurer.
- Recruit and manage all staff, interns, students and volunteers
- Oversee New Media Workspace rentals and staff as needed
- Support the development of all communications (press releases, website, social media, Modern Fumes, newsletter, etc.), working in collaboration with the Artistic Director
- Coordinate and attend all Board of Director meetings and committee meetings as appropriate
- Prepare and distribute agenda and minutes for all Board meetings and AGM
- Carry out development and distribution of artist contracts/agreements in consultation with the Artistic Director
- Assist Artistic Director in the maintenance of gallery space including wall repairs and maintenance, signage, lighting etc.
- Assist Artist Director in the installation of exhibitions as needed
- Ensure that the gallery is open and staffed during operational hours

Qualifications:
The ideal candidate has:
- An interest in contemporary art practices and artist-run culture, with relevant post-secondary education or at least 3 years of experience in the artist-run centre or not-for-profit sector.
- Excellent time management and organizational skills with the ability to multi-task
- Superior English oral and written communication skills.
- Strong attention to detail
- Bookkeeping and financial experience
- Previous volunteer management experience
- The ability to work cooperatively in an open-concept office, as well as work independently and in a self-directed manner
- Experience working with diverse public audiences. Must be outgoing, friendly and tactful with a demonstrated commitment to excellent service.
- Fluency with Microsoft Office Suite and familiarity with both Microsoft and Mac platforms

Salary: $23,400 to $26,520 + benefits

Please submit a curriculum vitae and a letter of interest to:
Hiring Committee
Modern Fuel Artist Run Centre
21 Queen Street
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
K7K 1A1

Or email: modernfuel@bellnet.ca

All applications must be received at Modern Fuel by Friday, February 17, 2012, at 5pm. Modern Fuel is an equal-opportunity employer. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Syphon in Stockholm

michael — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:52:30 -0600

Feb 16, 2012 -- Feb 19, 2012

Modern Fuel travels to Sweden in February for the SUPERMARKET Art Fair at the Kulturhuset in the centre of Stockholm. SUPERMARKET is a showcase for artists’ initiatives from all over the world that creates opportunities for new networks in the Swedish and international art scenes. The last exhibition presented more than 70 artist-run galleries and similar initiatives from 25 countries. In addition to the exhibition, the event includes a seminar programme, a performance art stage and a meeting programme for networking. A catalogue for the event is combined with an art magazine in English that is distributed internationally.

At SUPERMARKET, Modern Fuel will launch the latest issue of Syphon, an arts and culture publication that is meant to act as a conduit between the arts community in Kingston and communities elsewhere. Syphon 1.4 includes art and articles by Abbas Akhavan, Jennifer Allen, James Goddard, Claire Grady-Smith, Vincent Perez, and a special A/V supplement curated by Michael Davidge. The issue also features a project by Front magazine. Syphon has a mandate to feature local, national, and international arts coverage with an emphasis on arts scenes and activities that are located outside of the major art centres found in larger cities. The publication aims to engage a readership that includes its subscribers, the greater Kingston community and communities beyond, and, with this launch, will reach an audience in Sweden for the very first time.

The A/V supplement, Video Surplus/Varied Toil, complements the issue’s special theme of “Art and the Economy.” The Video Surplus program, featuring works by Jubal Brown, Ulysses Castellanos, Duke&Battersby, Nahed Mansour, Jennifer Matotek, Nicole Rayburn, Tasman Richardson, and Daniel Wong, offers a précis on the diversity of video art production in Canada over the past decade, while presenting a portrayal of art production that underscores the cultural contradictions of capitalism. The artists in the video program provide a complex illustration of the ways in which labour is both ritualized and refused in their artworks, often through the very act of consumption itself. The experimental audio documentary Varied Toil, by James Goddard, completes the disc.

Syphon honours the etymology of the term "hoser," referring to those farmers who, on the Canadian prairies during the great depression of the '30s, would siphon gas from their neighbours’ vehicles with a hose. Syphon reclaims the somewhat derogatory expression and applies it to all those trying to make ends meet in artist-run culture.

When: Invitation Preview on Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 6pm; Open to the Public 17-19 February 2012 (Opening hours Friday 11-22, Saturday 11-20, Sunday 11-18).

Where: Third and fifth floor of Kulturhuset, in the centre of Stockholm.

Admission: SEK 100, Catalouge SEK 90, Admission + Catalouge SEK 150 (SEK 100 for students/OAPs). Free under age 16.

SUPERMARKET 2012 website: www.supermarketartfair.com

Best of the Ottawa International Animation Festival

michael — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:58:07 -0600

Feb 9, 2012 -- Feb 9, 2012

This February, Modern Fuel's New Media Workspace will host the “Best of Ottawa 2011,” a series of nine short animated films from the 2011 Ottawa International Animation Festival. The OIAF is the biggest event of its kind in North America. In September 2011 it received 2,005 entries from 75 countries of which 100 films were selected for the festival’s official competition.

Since 1976, the OIAF has continued to showcase the best of world animation, providing a platform for the most innovative animation technologies and artists. In recent years, the Festival has made it possible for those outside Ottawa to experience this event through its “Best of Ottawa” tour. This year's programme collects many of the most exciting audience favourites and ingenious award-winners. Among this year's highlights are Stephen Irwin’s riveting grand-prize winner Moxie, Pjotr Sapegin’s touching The Last Norwegian Troll, and the hilarious crowd-favourite The Goat and The Well.

The “Best of Ottawa 2011” will play in museums, art institutes and art house theatres across the world, in places like Chicago, Boston, Montreal, New York City, Taipei, and, of course, right here in Kingston at the Screening Room (120 Princess Street)! Local enthusiasts of the visual arts, film buffs, and animation won't want to miss the opportunity to see this line-up in a cinema!

Running time and age advisory: 75 minutes / intended for mature audiences

Admission: $9 general admission // $8 seniors and students // $6 New Media Workspace members

When: Feb 6, 7 and 9 (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday) at 7pm & 9pm

Where: The Screening Room, 120 Princess Street, Kingston, ON

******
Best of Ottawa 2011 website: www.animationfestival.ca

The New Media Workspace aims to provide artists and community organizations with video production/post-production support and services in order to encourage the grown of the New Media Arts community in the Kingston region. The New Media Workspace was established by Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre in 2002.

Modern Fuel Members’ Show & Sale: Call for Art!

michael — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:48:46 -0600

Modern Fuel Members’ Show & Sale: Call for Art!

This spring, Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre (MF ARC) is excited to be offering our members the opportunity to exhibit in our main-space gallery! This exhibition will proudly reflect the dynamic creative strength of our community while helping to raise funds for the continued success of MF ARC. All works will be for sale through the gallery, with at least 50% of all sales supporting Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre (tax receipts for all monetary contributions to the gallery will be available).

The MF Member’s Show & Sale will open with a reception on Friday March 2nd at 7pm and will continue until March 10th, 2012.

Modern Fuel* is currently seeking new and/or past works to be included in the exhibition. All submissions will be considered by representatives of the MF ARC Programming Committee on a first-come-first-served basis, however, exhibition of all submissions cannot be guaranteed. Multiple submissions will be permitted. All media welcome. Exhibiting artists must be a MF ARC member-in-good-standing by the opening date of the exhibition.

If you are able to contribute an artwork to this fundraiser, you are invited to submit a digital image of the work(s) to: MFshowandsale@gmail.com

Images should be sent as soon as possible. Please ensure each image is labeled as follows:
“First Name_Last Name_Title of Work_Medium_Year_Price.jpg”

Deadline for submissions is February 18th, 2012.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions and, as always, we thank you for your continued support.

*Modern Fuel is a not-for-profit Artist-Run centre that supports innovation and experimentation in contemporary art. For over thirty year, we have been showcasing provocative work by emerging and mid-career Canadian artists from diverse cultural communities. Our members and visitors have come to expect high-quality programming that includes exhibitions, experimental concerts, workshops, lectures, and access to our new media workspace.

Show and Tell Group Critique

michael — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:10:59 -0600

Come show your work, or work in progress for feedback from fellow artists in the community. Sign up in advance at masvideo@gmail.com or call 613 548 4883. All media welcome. Show up even if you have nothing to share yet but would like to participate in providing feedback. Free of charge.

Voir Dire

michael — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:12:33 -0600

Jan 14, 2012 -- Feb 18, 2012

Reception: Saturday 14 January 2012 @7pm at Modern Fuel

In the Main Gallery, Modern Fuel presents Voir Dire, a dark and mysterious installation by the Calgary-based artist Tammy McGrath. "Voir Dire" is an old French phrase that loosely translates as “to speak the truth.” It is employed as a law term which connotes the process by which lawyers question prospective jury members to determine if they are unbiased and suitable to be part of a fair and impartial jury. For this installation, McGrath took on the role of a passive destroyer and burned over one thousand four hundred books. The exhibition has unavoidable references to the violent history of book burning but remains ambiguous and doesn’t provide any easy answers for what it represents. The experience of the work is beautiful and compelling – yet dangerous and threatening at the same time, expressing the duality of human behaviour with deeds both good and dark. Accommodations for the Voir Dire exhibition have been generously provided by Four Points by Sheraton, Kingston.

Tammy McGrath holds a BFA in Painting from the Alberta College of Art and Design and an MFA in Intermedia from the University of Regina. She is a multimedia artist and teaches studio arts at the University of Calgary and the Alberta College of Art & Design while also programming the Visual and Media Arts at the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts. She has received numerous awards and grants and has written for local and national art publications. McGrath spearheaded/initiated projects such as the Mountain Standard Time Performative Art Festival and Space for Space in Calgary, AB. In her art practice, McGrath examines how truth is constructed and knowledge is retained and erased.

Cheap, Fast, and Easy

michael — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:03:53 -0600

Jan 14, 2012 -- Feb 18, 2012

Reception: Saturday 14 January 2012 @7pm at Modern Fuel

Modern Fuel presents, in its State of Flux Gallery, a collection of zines, photographs and recordings by Tim Murphy (Kingston, ON) entitled Cheap, Fast, and Easy. As a writer, musician and photographer, Murphy takes his aesthetic and his inspiration from ‘zines such as BITCH NATION, a publication by Toronto artist/musician/film-maker GB Jones, or OUTPUNK and HOLY TITCLAMPS. A long-standing zinester, Murphy cribbed the cover of the first issue of his NOISE QUEEN from HOMOCORE TORONTO’s summer 1995 issue. Recently taking up photography as part of his practice, he aims to make pictures that look like what you used to get if you photocopied a snapshot on an early Xerox machine – murky black and white.

Tim Murphy graduated from Queen’s University in 1989 with a BA in English, and thus became effectively unemployable. Based in Kingston, he has managed various menial tasks throughout the years that have enabled him to continue subverting the dominant paradigm in writing, music and, lately, photography.