Lexicon

Earlier this fall, we participated in the highly successful Scotiabank Nuit Blanche premiering our installation Lexicon. Thousands of Torontonians dropped by and wrote poems based on a twenty-word lexicon taken from TOK: Writing the New Toronto. Audiences were engaged and had fun with our interactive installation, where people stepped into the spotlight and shared their personal works.

Building on this momentum, we will be bringing this project to a community near you!

Lexicon is a community cabaret, where we are inviting patrons to use the same twenty words that gave rise to the poems created at Scotiabank Nuit Blanche to co-produce—alongside spoken word artist Andrea Thompson, musician David Celia and actors Beryl Bain and Ash Knight—a one-of-a-kind multi-media presentation about how language informs our sense of community.

Hosted by Rhoma Spencer.

When: Wednesday, November 20; doors open at 6:15 pm
Where: Daniels Spectrum, Artscape Lounge, 585 Dundas St. E.
Cost: Free!

When: Thursday, November 28; doors open at 6:30 pm
Where: S. Walter Stewart Library, Auditorium, 170 Memorial Park Ave.
Cost: Free!

When: Thursday, December 5; doors open at 7 pm
Where: Assembly Hall, 1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr.
Cost: Free!

Actors at the events appear with the permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.

On Saturday, October 5th from sunset to sunrise, we celebrated contemporary art at Scotiabank Nuit Blanche. And, boy, was it an exhilarating night with thousands of Torontonians roaming the streets to revel in artistic expression.

We opened the doors at the majestic Metropolitan United Church located in the heart of Toronto by Queen St. E. and Church St. Our installation, Lexicon, invited audience members to share short poems about the city using words taken directly from our anthology series TOK: Writing the New Toronto. We saw over 15,000 people come through and share what they love, hate, feel about this diverse metropolis.

Throughout the night, participants were surprised by performances that include spoken word, theatre and music, where performers interacted with the audience who were invited to share the stage. We were delighted by the brave guests who stepped up to the open-mic and read their own poems or others’ poems whom they felt inspired by.

All in all, it was a fantastic and successful night where Torontonians let us into their creative side and opened up collectively speaking in one poetic voice reflecting the mosaic culture this great city has to offer.

Early morning when everyone has finally cleared out, and the church is once again peaceful.

Are you ready for a full night of contemporary art from sunset to sunrise? DD’s pleased to announce that we will be participating in this year’s Scotiabank Nuit Blanche. Our installation Lexicon invites audiences to create a special vocabulary that evokes the city that we live in through poetry using a specially selected list of words taken from our anthology series TOK.

Participants will get a chance to contribute their work, read others’ works, as well as see it all come to life throughout the night as artists perform original pieces that include improv, spoken word and music.

When: October 5-6; 7 pm–7 am
Where: Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen Street East
Cost: Free!