TO DO THIS WEEK
1. art TOOLS OF CONVIVIALITY
Riffing on a 1973 text by philosopher Ivan Illich by the same name, Tools for Conviviality is group multimedia exploration of how populations organize themselves into democratically active collectives, the tools (Wiki models, social media, etc.) that disparate groups use to enact change and influence the rest of the world, as well as the effects of mass ritual on participation in public space and design. The exhibition includes seasoned and emerging artists alike, including Abbas Akhavan, Raymond Boisjoly, Oscar Tuazon, the Claire Fontaine collective and Kyla Mallett. The curator of the show, plus Akhavan, Boisjoly and Mallett, will offer a guided tour of the pieces as part of the kickoff (June 30, 2 p.m.) and Vancouver artist Geoffrey Farmer will demonstrate some of the exhibit’s more interactive aspects to children through his costume and prop-heavy reinterpretation of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (July 1, 3-5 p.m.). ❚ June 30 to Aug. 26. The Power Plant, 231 Queens Quay W. Free (free admission for all of 2012); thepowerplant.org
2. celebration CANADA DAY AT QUEEN’S PARK
For a celebration of the nation’s birthday that runs the gamut from traditional to multicultural, you can’t go wrong with Canada Day at Queen’s Park. It all kicks off with the de rigueur 21-gun salute, then live music and dance performances, games, rides, craft booths and face-painting. Plus, there will be plenty of special guest kids entertainers, including the WotWots travelling puppet show, Kara and Drew from the TVOKids’ Don’t Sit Still tour and the Sphere Clown Band. For adults, it’ll be all about the body grooving and summer costumes of Samba Connection, Los Salsomanos Dance Company, Polynesian Dreams and Dragon Dance — a veritable all-star lineup of fleet feet.
❚ July 1, noon-5 p.m. Queen’s Park, Queen’s Park Crescent. Free; citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/citizenship/honours/canadaday.shtml
3. comedy AZIZ ANSARI: BURIED ALIVE TOUR
It’s used to be that, if an actor was in the funniest echelon on TV, he or she would invariably end up on a prime-time network sitcom. In the age of HBO, Adult Swim and online channels such as Funny or Die, however, it turns out that a bona fide network hit, with its F-bomb-censored scripts and 22-minute restricted episodes, is now a niche form requiring a more nuanced comic actor. Enter Parks and Recreation’s Aziz Ansari, a true network funnyman for the YouTube age. It helps that Ansari has been propelling himself into comedic storms since 2001, and since 2007, with his breakthrough Human Giant series, he’s worked on stuff as diverse as Judd Apatow’s Funny People, Flight of the Conchords and, perhaps most amazingly, the Kanye West/Jay-Z video for Otis. He’s best known now as Thomas Montgomery Haverford, the Indian-American career climber opposite Amy Poehler’s overly ambitious deputy parks director Leslie Knope. But the funniest dude in prime time (according to People magazine) has continued to work the standup stage throughout his career, so expect a finely tuned evening of funny. ❚ July 6, 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sony Centre For The Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E. Visit sonycentre.ca for details and ticket information
4. art BOOM BY BOOM: A FIREWORKS SHOW IN PEN
If you eschew modern pyrotechnique displays, but still harbour a curiosity about the ephemeral afterimages left on the eye and why we’re drawn to such mass spectacles to begin with, don’t miss Boom By Boom, a new show of visual art pieces by Joy and Rose Broadbent. The Broadbent Sisters, as they’ve fashioned themselves, are a couple of design and art-savvy siblings who’ve been circling the world of Toronto’s multimedia art scene, including Nuit Blanche, The New BEAT collective and fashion line Bridge + Bardot. Now, the duo has embarked on their first collaboration: blue pen ink recreations of YouTube videos of fireworks displays. Just in time for fireworks season, these bear some kinship to the work of line artist Sol LeWitt, belied by a visceral pleasure in organized chaos that’s not unlike what one feels while starting deeply into a piece of abstract expressionism. ❚ Through July 13. Studio 835, 835 Bloor St. W. Free; visit boombyboom.com for more information
5. music LMFAO
If keyboard and synthesizer licks were fuel for a spaceship, Redfoo and Skyblu, a.k.a. LMFAO, would have already been to the outer reaches of the universe and back to Earth in their party rocket, and that’s with just two albums under their sequined belts. Anyone who hasn’t been bombarded with Party Rock Anthem, the first single off of their latest disc, has likely been in some sort of cultural coma: The song is ubiquitous at NBA, NHL, MLB and NFL games, and the video has a nearly half a
billion views on YouTube, which almost seems to require a word stronger than viral. Call LMFAO an epidemic if you must, but mind that their mélange of dance, rap and pop sensibilities is a rare bird that brings all kinds of musical taste groups together with one mission: the biggest party by the lake of the summer! ❚ July 4, 7 p.m. Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, Ontario Place, 909 Lakeshore Blvd. W. $15-$90; for tickets, visit ticketmaster.ca