Location: Flemingdon Park in North York
About the Artist: Little Dada is a group of creative technologists who use digital technologies in combination with art to explore the role of technology in culture and promote positive social change.
About the Park: Flemingdon Park is a large park in North York that runs along a hydro corridor, and features several multipurpose sports fields, two ball diamonds, ball hockey and basketball courts, a community garden, a children's playground and a splash pad. The event took place in an area of the park where there is a basketball court and a community garden. A small community centre is located beside the park.
How the Park was Animated: The Long Exposure Festival was a daylong outdoor festival that took place in August focusing on performance, visual art and photography. Circus performers wearing lighted clothing roamed through Flemingdon Park, which had been lit with installations and interactive games. People could get their picture taken in a long exposure photo booth, watch performances, make crafts and play with various light up toys and games.
This project was funded by the City of Toronto through Toronto Arts Council’s Animating Toronto Parks grants program
Impact: The event mixed the arts with technology in an open, barrier-free, outdoor space. The mix of installations, activities and performances provided residents the opportunity to decide what art to interact with, when, and at what level of participation (observing, participating or a combination of the two) which made the event more inviting as no one was obliged to engage in a certain way. The event also featured a photo booth where attendees could do their own “light painting” and then receive a printed photo of their work as a memory to take home and an extension of their experience.
Why attendees enjoyed it:
- It was family-friendly
- It was interactive and explorative
- They could watch and/or participate with the art
To promote the event, Little Dada reached out to local community groups and nearby schools, and leveraged pre-existing relationships, utilizing traditional methods like posters and flyers as well social media campaigns.
"So nice to have an art event like this in the heart of the neighbourhood" - Attendee, 2018