Luminato 2012
An incredible artistic spectrum of events from film,
music, visual art, architecture, light shows, ballet , literature, TV, magic
and culinary art were organized here in Toronto and " battle" for our attention for ten days.
This year the participants span from authors like Michael
Ondaatje and Annie Prolx, to musicians like Montrealer pianist Tom Memier or
Ernest Ranglin ( the father of ska) , from opera to film , from ballet by Israeli dance company
Batsheva to classical music by Shostakovich .
The Distillery Historic District , where I have my
studio, was the hub of a tasty food festival called 1000 Tastes of Toronto. The
city 's best chefs( Susur Lee, Tom Fillippou,..) assembled treasured recipes
from their childhoods , each culinary delight priced at just $5. The long array
of distillery chefs and restaurants included
Boiler House, Cafe Uno, Oyster House, A Taste of Quebec, Dufflet
Pastries and of course drinks from our own Mill Street Brewery , well known for
organic and fragrant beers .
Austrian artist Rainer Prohaska presented an
installation/ performance which explored our relationship with food , using
large and colourful sculptures made of food charts transformed into mobile kitchens.
The distillery area had also a book signing event, with two well known food writers , Calvin
Trillin ( 40 Years of Funny Stuff)and the Montrealer Adam Gopnik( The Table
Comes First: The Family, France and The Meaning of Food).
Luminato 2012 saluted the bicentennial of the War of
1812 with a temporal village of 200
tents at the York Fort and the signing of Alan Taylor book " The Civil War
of 1812 : American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels and Indian
Allies".
"Dreams 100" Acrylic on W/C paper , Framed (22"x30")
When so many good intentions , from the part of the sponsors
and volunteers, and so much talent , from the part of the artists involved , are
mixed , only good things can emerge .I know I am grateful to live in such a lively
,artsy epicenter like Toronto !
