Entr’acte: a performance by Ali-El Darsa

A performance by Ali El-Darsa, followed by a conversation with artist and curator Swapnaa Tamhane.
April 26th, 6:00pm.  Hart House (University of Toronto).
 
Entr’acte, French for “between the acts. A term that is often used in theatre to describe the pause between stage productions, while in silent cinema, it relates to the divide between two acts.

Montreal based, Lebanese artist Ali El-Darsa’s performance titled Entr’acte, is a multidisciplinary installation, referencing the theatrical and cinematic meaning of the word Entr’acte, calling to attention the notion of time that exists between actions and the physical space that separates a performer from an audience. By challenging the essential elements of performance and reducing them to their formal essence, El-Darsa attempts to question today’s performance art practices and the performative aspects that lie beyond gallery or public spaces. With the use of digital media, digital outlets of dissemination and high speed communication tools, the presence of the performer can reside in the digital realm – anywhere and anytime. Entr’acte explores this notion, subjecting the audience to the role of a voyeur.

Entr’acte will be presented during The Shifting Plane of Performance, a series of performances, symposia, and a discussion forum that examines contemporary developments and directions of performance art, its relationship to social practice and relational aesthetics, and how performance functions beyond North American or European models.  A symposium on performance art will occur on Friday April 27th, and will culminate in a moderated discussion forum on Saturday April 28th. The symposium and forum are funded through Diane Borsato and Stephanie Springgay’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant “The Institute of Walking: Research and Creation in Relational and Interventionist Arts Practices” and produced in collaboration with the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, Hart House, University of Toronto, and co-curated by Swapnaa Tamhane.

Free admission to all events.

About Ali El-Darsa
 
A Montreal-based artist born in Beirut, Ali El-Darsa works in video, performance art and installation. His work examines a personal history, the self and its duality.  It often employs elements of replication by which he defies behavioural patterns and expresses internal conflicts that coexist between what he is and what he wants to be.

El-Darsa’s video works have been exhibited at festivals and galleries across North America, Europe & Asia – most notably at the Kasseler Dokumentarfilm- und Videofest (Germany), ATA Gallery (San Francisco), Festival International du Film sur l’Art (Montreal), Festival International du Cinéma Méditerranéen Montpellier (France), Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival (Toronto), Galerie Sans Nom (Moncton, NB), Jordan Short Film Festival (Amman, Jordan) and Lite Side Festival (Amsterdam). His public intervention performances have taken place in Montreal & Berlin.  alieldarsa.com

Please Join us on April 26, 2012, in the Debates Room, Hart House, Hart House Circle, University of Toronto, Doors at 6 PM, followed by a conversation with artist and curator Swapnaa Tamhane at 7:30 PM.

Free Admission

After party at The Harbord House, 150 Harbord St, Toronto, 8 PM.

For more information on Entr’acte please contact Sharlene Bamboat, Programming Coordinator at info@savac.net