Future Cities Talks presented as part of in/future, Toronto’s new festival of art and music at Ontario Place

On September 25, 2016, Waterfront Toronto will present a series of talks aimed at challenging urbanists, culture-makers, advocates and citizens to reimagine what it means to be a “city builder.”

The free talks will take place as part of in/future: a transformative art experience, presented by Art Spin in partnership with Small World Music, which is an art and world music festival that runs from September 15-25, 2016 on the iconic Ontario Place grounds. The talks will be hosted on the closing day of the festival, Sunday, September 25, 2016 from 2:30pm to 5:00pm in the landmark Cinesphere presented by Air France (600-person capacity), Canada’s first permanent IMAX film theatre.

The series draws on experts and innovators who are known for pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo. They are invited to present big ideas that address topics, challenges, intersecting critical themes, and questions that Toronto and other cities face as they grow and densify.

Event Details

• Date: Sunday, September 25, 2016 at 2:30pm
• Location: Cinesphere presented by Air France, Ontario Place, West Island – 955 Lake Shore Boulevard West. Map
• Directions: http://infuture.ca/directions/
• Format: 12-15 minute talks, with introductory and closing discussion forum
• Access: Free event

Free tickets are available now at: https://infuturetalks.eventbrite.ca

Speakers

Host
William Fleissig, CEO Waterfront Toronto

Introduction

Eb Zeidler (Zeidler Partnership Architects) and Margie Zeidler (Urbanspace Property Group) discuss the utopian design of leisure spaces like Ontario Place and shared work spaces like 401 Richmond, and how both projects have changed the face of our City in the past 40 years. Discussion moderated by William Fleissig.

Talks

• Vass Bednar (Martin Prosperity Institute) discusses the problem with the term “community” and its implications for governance and policy-making.
• Lisa Switkin (James Corner Field Operations) discusses building shared green spaces as an act of revitalizing the civic commons and enhancing our quality of life.
• Karen Carter (Myseum) discusses embracing the unknown as a revolutionary stance for knitting together a collective identity for an increasingly diverse city.
• Susan Blight (Ogimaa Mikana) discusses the City of Toronto as a utopian experiment to restore Indigeneity, build solidarities, and decolonize our cities.
• Katerina Cizek (MIT Open Documentary Lab) on the city as open web and on becoming urban citizens rather than consumers.

Closing Discussion

Speakers will participate in a moderated discussion, led by William Fleissig, and Q&A with the audience.

You can learn more about the speakers by reading their bios here.

About in/future
in/future: a transformative art experience, is a multidisciplinary arts and music festival presented by Art Spin and Small World Music Festival. The inaugural festival held at Ontario Place and the West Island will use arts-based programming to activate the 14-acre waterfront park from September 15 to 25. This unprecedented partnership with the Ontario Place Corporation will gather together over 60 of the most exciting contemporary artists and art organizations from across Ontario through an immersive celebration of art and culture. www.infuture.ca

About Art Spin
Art Spin has been operating professionally as an arts presenter for over seven years, activating decommissioned venues and unique public spaces to produce large scale group exhibitions along with curated bicycle-led art tours to showcase a wide range of newly commissioned art programing in unique site-specific settings. Led by Layne Hinton and Rui Pimenta, artists and independent curators, driven by a strong sense of commitment and passion for presenting contemporary artworks in alternative, everyday spaces in order to make its audience’s experiences with art more engaging and exciting. www.artspin.ca

media kit

• Speaker Bios
• Image Gallery
• Future Cities Talks - Digital Poster

media contact

Mira Shenker
Waterfront Toronto
E-mail: media@waterfrontoronto.ca