Travel round the world through the arts
By Heather Kelly
The end of October is a creepy, crawly, spooky fun time of year. With that in mind, everyone can get up close and personal with some of the biggest and baddest arachnids in the world, including new additions to the Spiders: Fear & Fascination exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Related spider-themed programming with exclusive evening access to the exhibition includes the talk Spider-Man: Legend & Legacy on October 30, where comic giants Chip Zdarsky and Adam Kubert discuss the history of Spider-Man in popular culture.
On October 26, adults have the opportunity to check out the creepy and crawly world of arachnids at ROM Friday Night Live “Wicked” and enjoy psychobilly band The House of Haunt and Scarlett LaFlamme Burlesque’s show Monsters.
At the Bata Shoe Museum’s “Halloween Spooktacular,” children ages 3 to 12 can decorate a Halloween-inspired cookie, make a special craft, and play ISpy in the galleries, and kids in costume get in to the museum for free, October 27-28.
The Gardiner Museum is offering a Jack-O-Lantern Workshop, September 29 to October 13, where you can make a Jack-O-Lantern out of clay to put in the window for Halloween.
Horror Rama returns to 918 Bathurst Centre for a two-day festival of all things horror, November 3-4.
The Japan Foundation is presenting free screenings of dark and occult films from Japan. The first part of the series features three films by cult favourite Shinya Tsukamoto, including the beautiful and macabre film Vital on October 23, Nightmare Detective on October 30 where, after a string of suspicious suicides where the victims slash themselves in their sleep, Detective Keiko Kirishima seeks the help of the Nightmare Detective who has the power to enter dreams.
The cyberpunk horror cult favourite Tetsuo The Iron Man screens on November 1, and additional films will be presented throughout November. Note that all of these films are rated R.
The 10th anniversary concert season continues at Koerner Hall with Juno Award winner Quique Escamilla’s Day of the Dead celebration on November 2. The concert will be a high-energy El Día de los Muertos party with theatre, dance, storytelling, and décor. There will be a pre-concert celebration of life where audience members can put photos of departed loved ones on an altar and honour them with food and drinks.
The Native Canadian Centre of Toronto’s culture department and the University of Toronto’s Indigenous student services are presenting an October 29 workshop that corrects the misconception that Indigenous-themed costumes are acceptable to purchase and wear. It will include a presentation and panel discussion about the importance of headdresses, regalia, and sacred items.
At A Different Booklist Cultural Centre, Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere presents spoken word on November 1. This month’s notable launches include Randell Adjei’s I Am Not My Struggles on November 3 and “Global Warming and the Sweetness of Life” on November 7.
Daniel Hope and Friends’ “AIR – A Baroque Journey” takes audiences on an outrageous romp through the baroque with a dazzling ensemble of virtuosi minstrels on November 3 at The Royal Conservatory’s Koerner Hall.
While the origins of the violin can be traced back thousands of years to Mongolia and India, it was the Italians to whom we can almost certainly attribute the creation of the violin in its modern form, as violinists and composers went on a journey seeking more extravagant and original ways in which to express themselves on this fascinating new instrument. AIR sets out to trace one such journey.
At the Istituto Italiano: the exhibition Guido Guidi – A New Map of Italy gathers more than 50 works, from the Canadian Centre for Architecture of Montréal. Guidi focuses on the spontaneous suburban architecture, on harsh secondary roads, on spray-painted walls, abandoned depots, and construction sites to form a complex and stratified portrait of the contemporary landscape.
As part of the Canadian Arabic Orchestra’s Festival of Arabic Music and Arts, Photocopy – Movie is at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema on October 28.
Directed by Tamer Ashry, the film tells of Mahmoud, who lives a traditional life until he settles for early retirement, buys a nearby storefront, and sets up “Mahmoud’s photocopy”.
Then as part of the festival, a concert, “Nur Sufi” with Dalal Abu Amneh, will take place on Thursday, November 1 at 918 Bathurst Centre.
The celebrated singer will take audiences on a holistic spiritual journey that combines Sufi whirling with music set to some of the greatest poetry of Rumi, Ibn Arabi, and Al Hallaj.
All of these arts and culture events are part of the Bloor St. Culture Corridor, a collaboration of 20 arts and culture organizations located on Bloor St. West.
Heather Kelly is the founder and director of the Bloor St. Culture Corridor, one of the city’s leading cultural districts.