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Urban Planner: July 10, 2009
Urban Planner is Torontoist’s daily guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every morning. If you have an event you’d like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you’ve got any—to [email protected].
ART: In its latest exhibit, Get Over It, emerging gallery Show & Tell serves up another compelling concoction of "outsider" art. Though obviously rooted in graffiti and graphic design, all three featured artists bring their unique touch to works inspired by pop-culture iconography and typography. Recognized urban artist and recipient of 2007’s Fulbright Prize, Steve Powers (a.k.a. ESPO), worked in Ireland to create public artwork with local teenagers from troubled areas in Dublin and Belfast before returning to Manhattan. Greg Lamarche was born and raised in Queens and still resides in New York City. With twenty-five-plus years as a graffiti writer, Lamarche’s collage work blurs the line between fine art and graphic design. Up-and-comer Greg Gossel currently works as a graphic designer, though he is dedicated to his personal work—an interplay of words, gestures, and image, using various media. Must-see art aside, S&T’s spacious, well-lit gallery is a must-visit for anyone tired of cramped art venues. Show & Tell Gallery (1161 Dundas Street West), 7 p.m., FREE.
MUSIC: Now in its seventh year, Beats, Breaks & Culture is one of Canada’s most highly anticipated electronic-music festivals, celebrating the best in national and international electronic(ally inspired) music. This year’s opening-night line-up includes "Toronto’s evil super group," Holy Fuck, and experimental indie rockers DD/MM/YYYY. In tune with Harbourfront’s other World Routes festival events, BB&C promises to keep crowds on their feet as the sun sets and night falls on Lake Ontario. Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay West), 7–11 p.m., FREE.
FOOD: Night it up, organized by the Power Unit youth organization, recreates the energy and excitement of traditional Asian night markets—enticing passersby with everything from novelty items to games to live performances to fragrant delicacies. Illuminated booths, spread out over alleys perfect for meandering, offer exotic treats from all over Asia—fish balls drizzled in curry sauce from Hong Kong, Xin Jiang–style flame-grilled lamb skewers seasoned with cumin and chilli, and Japanese takoyaki. Eat your heart out, all night long. Metro Square (3636 Steeles Avenue East), 7 p.m.–1 a.m., FREE.
WORDS: As part of the Scream Literary Festival, beloved Toronto poet Dennis Lee (renowned for such pillars of 70s/80s nostalgia as Alligator Pie and Nicolas Knock and Other People), revisits his Governor General’s Award–winning Civil Elegies at this year’s book-length dinner reading, If Hope Disorders Words. While the strike has forced Lee out of the original setting for the evening, the City of Toronto Archives, he has no trouble engaging audiences wherever he goes. The Walmer Centre (188 Lowther Avenue); 7 p.m.; $40 for dinner plus reading, $15 for reading only (tickets available online).
FAMILY: The Second City invites the whole family on board in Are We There Yet?, an interactive, partially improvised matinee performance. Silly scenes and songs about family, friends, and summer require audience participation—especially from its youngest (and bravest!) members. The Second City (51 Mercer Street); 12 p.m.; $12, family four-pack $40.