48HRS Project 2020
PROJECT ON HOLD due to pandemic.
“Founded by Ottawa art veterans Guy Bérubé and Remco Volmer, 48HRS is a curatorial collective that curates and produces events focused around Ottawa’s burgeoning independent arts scene. This collective believes that the National Capital Region has a growing creative community that is on the verge of bursting onto the national and international scene. 48HRS acts as a connecter and a catalyst for the local arts scene by bringing together local artists, artist-run centres, commercial galleries, and other art spaces through a series of surprising events. Key to the organization’s values is inclusivity and every event is designed to welcome a broad audience.
The collective came together around the absence of an “arts commons” in the national capital; a collective, critically constructive, multidisciplinary and and imaginative attempt to be in the world, and one that makes contemporary art practice possible. This approach influences both the work process of the collective and the way in which art is combined with the commons of art into the world. An exploration of in the format of a festival allows us to experiment, test, and quickly react to changes in both the form and content of what we should know and invite everybody to participate in the discussion. This festival format nurtures an inclusive community; it includes those who resist the privileged spaces of institutional art and those who do not have access to it. By avoiding uniform formulas of presentation and knowledge sharing, by not levelling out the unique qualities of those involved, and by creating new formats to illuminate processes in artistic work, we develop a lively public environment and experiences that reflect the thinking and productive power of a diverse society. In this way, we aim to create a space for shared concerns, and to inspire a radical imagination.
The mission of the 48HRS collective is multifaceted, with the aim of increasing the visibility of contemporary culture within the National Capital Region, promoting, supporting and running an inclusive, community driven event. With this first major project, 48HRS wants to create a platform for contemporary artists from Ottawa and beyond and to be committed to the recognition of our city as an important partner and art destination.
The first 48HRS project will be a three-day multidisciplinary arts festival concentrated in both space and time. Unlike other large-scale fleeting arts events, this project is less focused on spectacle, and more aimed at looking for broader trends and identifying interesting patterns for art consumption as well as appreciation. With decades of experience in putting on artistic events in Ottawa and beyond, the organizers have a great understanding of their local audience and its tendencies. Within the context of Ottawa, a city that favours a more deliberate engagement over all-night art events, the project aims to rethink existing art viewing options and to be an inclusive and welcoming experience for a wider public. The 48HRS festival will feature participants that are part of a growing trend of artist-run galleries, project spaces, artist collectives and other pro-artist initiatives. Our objective is to connect people and create community – sharing the energy, passion and vitality of an international and independent art world.
Within a warehouse type industrial space, participants will stage site specific installations on large self- supporting wooden panels to create a maze-like effect. Each participant will ‘host’ one side of these panels, and their display will be tightly curated by both organizers.
Located in a leading centre of technology development and creativity, with a citizenry with a keen interest in the arts, in a leading creative city, the festival is strongly positioned. Through ties with other organizations, 48HRS is connected to an international network of artists and artist-run centres, providing a conduit for international exchange and representing the creativity and diversity of multidisciplinary artists from Ottawa and the surrounding region to the public. There has not been a festival platform for multi-disciplinary arts in the region since the last edition of Nuit Blanche in 2015, and over the last few years, we have received many requests to mount a new concept. Through its well-developed networks of local and international artists, artist-run centres, and galleries, the festival provides key opportunities to the region’s artists to connect with a global network, and acts as a gateway for the sharing of expertise, collaboration and play for local artists and interested citizens”.
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48HRS MISSION:
• To promote, support and run inclusive, community driven events.
• To create an ephemeral experience to see innovative and provocative works by artists from Ottawa and beyond.
• To be committed to the recognition of our city as an important partner and art destination.
• To increase visibility of contemporary culture within the National Capital Region.
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Participants will be organized by word of mouth. Works will be curated by Remco Volmer & Guy Bérubé with contributing input from our connected network of expert eyes from around the world.