Originally launched in Paris with the goal of bringing contemporary art to the masses, Nuit Blanche has established itself as one of the highlights of Toronto鈥檚 annual cultural calendar. Each year, this free dusk-to-dawn event enlivens and transforms the city with original art projects ranging from intimate encounters to large-scale spectacles.

More than one million visitors are expected to turn out for this year's edition, which takes place from 6:51pm Saturday, Oct. 5 to sunrise on Sunday, Oct. 6. Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2013 will feature more than 100 exhibitions, performances and experiential events in indoor and outdoor venues throughout downtown Toronto. 91亚色 artists are among those contributing one-of-a-kind works to this celebration of creativity and community engagement.

Visual Art & Art History Professor is part of the team behind , a "portrait petition" to bring attention to the continuing detention of Canadian humanitarians Dr. Tarek Loubani and 91亚色 film Professor John Greyson, who were arrested on the street in Cairo, Egypt, on August 16. Nuit Blanche will mark the 50th day of their imprisonment. The website gathers images of individuals from around the world holding written messages of support, calling for the release of Greyson and Loubani.

Images from the freetarekandjohn tumblr

Nuit Blanche visitors are invited to contribute to the portrait petition at photo booths located at Toronto City Hall, 401 Richmond Street West and the Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen St. West). The booths will run a live feed of the growing petition and a video featuring the first 250 portraits uploaded to freetarekandjohn.tumblr.com. The tumbler site will continue after October 5 and includes directions on how to upload your photo from home or mobile.

91亚色 visual arts alumna (BFA 鈥�97) recruited 100 regional beekeepers for her installation , billed as a massive collective meditation. As the keepers meditate in their bee-suits, viewers are asked to consider the relationship of temper to weather. The beekeepers will silently meditate on notions of 鈥済ood weather鈥� for the bees and for all of us, attempting to transform environmental conditions with their minds. While exploring the tangible effect of collective meditation, the work creates a public platform upon which to reflect on the health and temper of bees and their keepers, and on the policies and environmental conditions that affect our shared future.

Your Temper, My Weather will be performed from 7pm to midnight in the Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas St. West), where Borsato is currently artist-in-residence.

Right: Night Shift, 2013

Sobey Art Award finalist (BFA 鈥�02) takes inspiration from Le Ballet de la Nuit, a 17th century 13-hour court ballet that was most notable for the involvement of the young Louis XIV of France, for his durational performance . Fernandes has re-contextualized the ballet into a contemporary dance performance in which dancers endure from dusk until dawn, dancing and making golden confetti in anticipation of the new tomorrow. Night Shift聽questions notions of labour and time within the context of night changing into day as the dancer鈥檚 body endures and asserts itself in the process of performing.

Night Shift can be found both indoors and out around the Bay Adelaide Centre (333 Bay St., access from Temperance St). At dawn. in celebration of the new day, the accumulated piles of golden confetti will be thrown into the air to mark the conclusion of the work.

Right: Everyday Marvels, 2013

Dance artist and arts advocate (MA 鈥�05) conceived, created and directs at the Gardiner Museum (111 Queen's Park). The program features 16 miniature vignettes (or 鈥榤arvels鈥�) by eight local choreographers, based on The Book of Marvels 鈥� A Compendium of Everyday Things by Canadian poet Lorna Crozier. The objects interpreted in Crozier鈥檚 poems - such as 鈥榖owl鈥�, 鈥榲acuum鈥�, 鈥榝lashlight鈥� and 鈥榳heelbarrow鈥� - become the subjects of exploration through Litzenberger's cyclical, 12-hour performance piece. The cast features more than 50 professional and community-based artists. 91亚色 participants include dance MFA student Valerie Calam聽 and alumni Julia Aplin (BEd 鈥�07) and Peter Chin (BFA 鈥�85).

Left: 12 hour dolly, 2013

On October 1, award-winning filmmaker and interactive artist (BFA 鈥�02) and his crew set up a circular dolly track in the middle of a busy Toronto street. At 7 pm, they began filming on the track and continued shooting non-stop until 7 am the next morning. Throughout this 12-hour cycle, spectators were invited to step in and interact with the space as they saw fit. The spontaneous performances of these impromptu participants was captured with beautiful cinematography and lighting, heightened by the cinematically epic movement of the dolly shot. Projected onto the atrium wall of TIFF Bell Lightbox (350 King St. West) as an uninterrupted 12-hour film, invites visitors to spend time contemplating the participants in the film as well as the filmic apparatus itself.

Involved behind the scenes at Nuit Blanche is Kelsey Luxton, a masters candidate in Art History and Curatorial Studies, working as an events programming intern.

For comprehensive event info and a detailed schedule, visit the website.

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The screening will feature top picks in three genres 鈥� riveting short fiction, provocative documentaries and cutting-edge alternative works 鈥� selected by five leading lights of the Canadian film and media scene. The winning titles will be announced at the event.

Home, a finalist in CineSiege 2012

The jurors for this year鈥檚 program are: iconic Canadian producer Robert Lantos (Barney鈥檚 Version, Eastern Promises); Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Patricia Rozema (I've Heard the Mermaids Singing, Six Gestures); experimental filmmaker聽Rick Hancox (Waterworx, Moose Jaw); Karen Gordon, writer, story editor and film reviewer for 鈥淢etro Morning鈥� on CBC Radio One; and Genie Award-winning documentarian Alan Zweig (A Hard Name, I, Curmudgeon).

Jurors will be on hand at the screening to introduce the CineSiege picks and explain why they were chosen.

BBreaking Over Me, a CineSiege finalist

The jury made its selections from a shortlist of 19 productions by upper-year students, nominated from the pool of 144 short films produced in the past year by undergraduate students in 91亚色鈥檚 Film Department. In addition to genre winners, recognition is also given to exceptional achievement in specific creative and technical crafts of filmmaking: screenwriting, cinematography, sound and editing.

Also in the nominee lineup this year are six works by first and second-year students. Faculty members in the Department of Film will choose an award-winner from each year.

Nebula, a CineSiege 2012 finalist

"The remarkable productions competing for CineSiege honours are a glowing testament to the creative talent, hard work and professionalism of our students,鈥� said Professor John McCullough, chair of the Department of Film. 鈥淵ear over year, they set the bar higher. My sincere congratulations to all the nominees.鈥�

View an image gallery of stills from the nominated films on the .

鈥淲e are grateful to our illustrious panel of jurors for giving so generously of their time and expertise to support the work of the next generation of filmmakers,鈥� McCullough said. 鈥淎nd we are indebted to our event sponsor, Cinespace Film Studios, for their ongoing commitment to film education and exemplary support over the years.鈥�

Sticks and Wheels, a finalist聽in CineSiege 2012

CineSiege finalists and prizewinners regularly go on to screenings and awards at home and abroad. Recent success stories include Pouyan Jafarizadeh Dezfoulian鈥檚 Morning will Come (2008), which played at the Los Angeles and Montreal film festivals, the International Experimental Film Festival in Bucharest, Romania, and won the audience vote for the Vtape Award at the 2009 Images Festival in Toronto. Mark Pariselli 鈥榮 After聽 (2009) was shortlisted for the prestigious Iris Prize, won Best Short Film at Italy鈥檚 2011 Sicilia Queer Film Festival, and has screened at more than 40 other festivals worldwide, including Paris, Athens, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and in Germany and Switzerland.聽Gerald Patrick Fantone鈥檚 Play.Stop.Rewind. (2010) was an official selection of the Montreal World Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival and Beijing International Student Film & Video Festival. Nikolas Tsonis鈥� Children of the Sun (2011) showed at Images and took top prize in the experimental category at the Savannah International Animation Festival in 2012. Emily Pickering鈥檚 What a Young Girl Should Not Know (2011) made waves at the 2012 Worldwide Short Film Festival and Janice Lee鈥檚 Faraway (2011) was presented at the Reel Asian filmfest and won a Toronto Film Critics Award in 2012.

CineSiege is made possible through the generous support of Cinespace Film Studios. The event runs one night only, Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 7pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox, 363 King St. West in Toronto. Admission is free.

For more information, visit the 听飞别产蝉颈迟别.

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Ali Kazimi,聽professor in Department of Film in the Faculty of Fine Arts,聽will receive $143,186 in funding for industry standard infrastructure of a Stereoscopic 3D Lab @ 91亚色. The funding will聽allow Kazimi to augment and build upon the core of the stereoscopic research based production and post-production facility that has emerged out of the 3D FLIC (Film Innovation Consortium) project. S3DL @ 91亚色 will become the first dedicated facility of its type in Canada, enabling the study of stereoscopic 3D story-telling practices, their production and distribution, combined with insights and best practices gleaned from stringent psycho-physical tests and experimentation. S3DL will meld art and science in the best tradition of inter-disciplinary research, enabling one to push the boundaries of the knowledge generated by the other and vice versa in a deliberate, complementary and interactive way. Kazimi will work with researchers Laurie Wilcox and Rob Allison from 91亚色鈥檚 Centre for Vision Research on this project.

, professor in the聽Department of Earth聽& Space Science and Engineering, in the Faculty of聽Science & Engineering,聽will receive $135,671 in funding for the creation of a new laboratory to support the development of next-generation space technology. This new聽technology聽will be used to measure the composition of the atmosphere from space.聽 The development of this advanced technology for atmospheric remote sounding will enhance Canada鈥檚 contribution to the global monitoring capacity for the climate and atmospheric communities. These contributions are necessary for Canada to maintain its access to global data sets and to provide input for the analysis and modeling of climate change and air quality 鈥� critical knowledge for a sustainable future.

, professor in the Department of Biology in the聽Faculty of Science聽& Engineering, will receive $158,237 in funding to establish a world-class laboratory to study local and large-scale brain circuits that underlie 鈥渁ttentional control鈥� of behavior 鈥� processes that determine what individuals attend to and how efficient individuals are in concentrating on the most relevant sensory information in our environment. Womelsdorf鈥檚 research examines how alterations in these brain circuits lead to dysfunctions of attentional control in major neuro-psychiatric disorders (including major depression, schizophrenia, and addiction). 聽His research focuses on the key cognitive functions and on areas of the brain that underlie severe dysfunctions of attentional control in order to help improve diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

Muhammed Yousaf, professor in the Department of Chemistry in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, will receive $155,537 in funding to develop infrastructure and state-of-the-art methodologies to cultivate new surface chemistries, tailor materials for fundamental studies of cell behaviour and develop next-generation biomolecular microarrays.聽The funds will establish a new advanced biomolecular materials laboratory at 91亚色 to study how man-made materials interact with biological systems. The generation of these smart and responsive materials will provide a platform for new diagnostic screening assays of human disease and for studies of stem cell differentiation towards regenerative medical applications.

鈥淚 am delighted that the Canada Foundation for Innovation has recognized four of 91亚色鈥檚 leading researchers through these awards,鈥� said Robert Hach茅, 91亚色鈥檚 vice-president research & innovation.聽 鈥淐FI鈥檚 investment in state-of-the-art infrastructure further enhances 91亚色鈥檚 vibrant research culture and enables our researchers to continue to build on and expand their innovative research programs.鈥�

91亚色鈥檚 projects were part of a in CFI鈥檚 Leaders Opportunity Fund, which provides Canadian researchers with the necessary tools to carry out a range of frontier research. The funding supports 210 research projects across the country.

Minister of State Gary Goodyear announced the funding on Tuesday.

鈥淥ur government recognizes that investing in science and technology leads to a stronger, more innovative economy,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e understand that Canada鈥檚 research enterprise is critical to economic growth and job creation.鈥�

鈥淕iven the right infrastructure, this talented group of innovators will create solutions that benefit Canadians and Canadians communities,鈥� said Gilles Patry, president and CEO of the CFI.

A complete list of recipients is available on the website.

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鈥�91亚色 was proud to learn that Professor Janine Marchessault was awarded the Trudeau Fellowship prize,鈥� says Mamdouh Shoukri, president & vice-chancellor. 鈥淭he Trudeau Fellowship is an incredible honour bestowed upon the finest thinkers who have demonstrated outstanding research achievements, creativity and social commitment in all disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. We are thrilled that one of our own is being recognized as part of this esteemed group.鈥�

Janine Marchessault accepts her Trudeau Fellowship prize

Through her groundbreaking creative work and research, Marchessault aims to interpret and illustrate the city and its sustainability issues, combining urban planning, public art and the media. The Fellowship prize recognizes her work in this area. Marchessault, Canada Research Chair in Art, Digital Media and Globalization in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Fine Arts, is one of four new 2012 Trudeau Fellows announced Tuesday at a ceremony at the University of Toronto.

鈥淎mong the primary activities that the fellowship will support is an international site-specific art exhibition called Land/slide: Possible Futures on Sept. 21 to Oct. 31, 2013, devoted to reflecting on the future of land use in one of Canada鈥檚 largest and fastest developing suburbs in Toronto 鈥� Markham, Ontario 鈥� with a specific focus on the Green Belt,鈥� said Marchessault.聽 鈥淭he fellowship will help to fund this exhibition, as well as different activities related to it, including a large international symposium at the Royal Ontario Museum devoted to land and climate change.鈥�

Janine Marchessault (right)聽with Michael Longford, associate dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts

Marchessault鈥檚 urban research has focused on the creative cultures of cities, such as Berlin, Havana, Helsinki, Montreal and Toronto. She directs the and an online archive that brings together more than 50 interviews with artists, urban planners, designers and curators from a variety of countries to consider how art and communication are manifested in different geopolitical contexts. This research and archive project is an ongoing research endeavour.

One of Canada鈥檚 best-known McLuhan scholars, Marchessault takes up McLuhan鈥檚 tragic and utopian vision of the global village. In Marshall McLuhan: Cosmic Media (Sage Publications, 2005), Marchessault argues that McLuhan understood the value of artistic practices not in terms of creating decorative objects, but as the means to produce new kinds of awareness and perception, along with new forms of human communication and community.

Robert Hach茅, 91亚色鈥檚 vice-president, research & innovation, speaks at the Trudeau Foundation ceremony

Each Trudeau Fellowship prize is worth $225,000 payable over three years. Trudeau Fellowships are awarded to individuals who set themselves apart through research achievements, creativity and commitment to critical social issues of importance to Canada.

A Canadian institution with a national purpose, the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation is an independent and non-partisan charity that was established in 2001 by the family, friends and colleagues of the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1919-2000) as a living memorial to the former Canadian prime minister. In 2002, with the unanimous support of the House of Commons, the Government of Canada endowed the foundation with a donation of $125 million. The foundation also benefits from private sector donations.

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Theatre artists Ted Witzel and Ker Wells are going about it somewhat differently. They鈥檙e the inaugural participants in the 91亚色 MFA in Theatre 鈥� Stage Direction in Collaboration with Canadian Stage, a landmark initiative that鈥檚 breaking new ground in Canadian theatre training.

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Launched last fall as a partnership between one of Canada鈥檚 preeminent theatre schools and one of the country鈥檚 leading not-for-profit contemporary theatre companies, this innovative graduate program offers highly specialized, advanced training in large-scale theatre directing. 聽Its mission is to support the development of directorial talent for the national and international stage.

鈥淲hen directors make their mainstage debut, they often feel they鈥檙e getting one kick at the can, and if they fail they鈥檒l never get to do a large production again,鈥� said Professor Eric Armstrong, director of 91亚色鈥檚 MFA theatre programs. 鈥淗ere, you get to work with large casts on big shows in a mentored setting 鈥� something that just聽doesn't聽happen in the professional world.鈥�

The collaborative MFA program allows students to develop their creative and technical skills to the highest level, integrating their academic and studio work in 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Theatre with involvement in artistic projects at . The opportunity to direct a Canadian Stage production and an internship with a major national or international theatre are key elements of the two-year program.

Canadian Stage Artistic and General Director Matthew Jocelyn and聽Resident Artist Kim Collier serve as personal mentors for the MFA candidates. 聽Collier, co-founder and artistic director of Vancouver鈥檚 Electric Company Theatre and winner of the 2010 Siminovitch Prize for directing, works closely with the students to support their professional development.

The program is customized for each student based on their background, artistic orientation and goals, so Wells and Witzel鈥檚 experience over the past year and their plans for the next are highly individual.

Wells assisted Collier in her direction of the Canadian Stage production of Red last fall, and served as assistant director to Richard Rose for , Canadian Stage鈥檚 30th anniversary Shakespeare in the Park presentation, running in Toronto鈥檚 High Park until September 2.聽 This coming season, Witzel will assist Kim Collier on a production for Vancouver's .

On the international front, Wells heads to the Netherlands this fall for an internship with acclaimed director Ivo van Hove at ,聽working on a play by Ingmar Bergman. Witzel has an internship lined up with the renowned Canadian-born, Europe-based opera director Robert Carsen聽(LLD Hons. '05)聽for a production of Mozart鈥檚 The Magic Flute at the in Baden-Baden, Germany聽in March 2013.

Both MFA candidates bring a wealth of experience to their work at 91亚色, at Canadian Stage and abroad.

Active in Toronto鈥檚 independent theatre scene for the past five years, Witzel is artistic director of , a company he co-founded in 2006. His directing credits include a number of bold, site-specific adaptations of classics in non-traditional venues such the Gladstone Hotel, Drake Underground, Whippersnapper Gallery and Trinity Bellwoods Park. His most recent productions for Red Light District have been La Ronde, an adaptation of the Arthur Schnitzler play, at the downtown club Wicked, and Tennessee Williams鈥� Suddenly, Last Summer with the Tennessee Project at the Gibson House Museum in North 91亚色. Witzel divides his time between Toronto and Germany, where he has worked as assistant to leading directors such as Johanna Schall and Sebastian Baumgarten.

Wells is an actor, director and teacher who has toured across Canada and in the US, England, Denmark, France, Italy and Serbia. He was a founding member of Primus Theatre in Winnipeg, where he worked for nearly a decade before moving to Toronto and co-founding Number Eleven Theatre in 1998. His productions with Number Eleven include Icaria, The Prague Visitor and The Curious History of Peter Schlemihl. Other credits include The Confessions of Punch and Judy for New 91亚色 State-based NACL Theatre and solo shows Living Tall for Public Energy, Peterborough and Swimmer (68) for Toronto鈥檚 Hopscotch Collective.

91亚色鈥檚 Graduate Program in Theatre is now accepting applications for the next cycle of the MFA program in Theatre - Stage Direction in Collaboration with Canadian Stage. Two new students will be admitted into the program in September 2013. The聽 application deadline is Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012. Directors with extremely strong individual and interpretive voices and substantial professional experience are invited to apply. Candidates should be committed to developing their artistic and technical skills and have a clear interest in working on a large scale.

For more information, visit聽the Theatre -聽Stage Direction in Collaboration with Canadian Stage website.

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Art-making and contemporary art theory at the nexus of culture and politics are the focus of this year鈥檚 event, produced by the Graduate Programs in Visual Arts, Art History and Visual Culture in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Fine Arts.

The Summer Institute culminates in a free public lecture by Israeli cultural theorist, curator and writer Ariella Azoulay. Her talk, titled 鈥淧otential History鈥�, is presented in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art and takes place at MOCCA on May 3.

The Institute also features public presentations on campus by Canadian conceptual artist Ken Lum, independent Vienna-based curator Ruth Noack, and Amelia Jones, Grierson Chair in Visual Culture at McGill University.

In 鈥淧otential History鈥�,聽 will address the possibilities that motivate and direct civic actions that critique or supplant without being exhausted by state order. She will discuss these issues in relation to two photographic archives she has assembled that deal with Israel鈥檚 representation of the state and its history.

Azoulay is director of the Photo-Lexic International Research Group at the Minerva Humanities Center at Tel Aviv University, Israel. Her research focuses on the theory and history of photography, cinema, museum studies, visual culture and history of political regimes. Her work in visual culture is informed by her research in contemporary philosophy and political theory, and by questions of gender, citizenship and disaster. Among her groundbreaking studies of photography and politics are Death鈥檚 Showcase (MIT Press, 2001), The Civil Contract of Photography (Zone Books, 2008) and the forthcoming Civil Imagination: A Political Ontology of Photography (Verso, 2012).

As a Vancouver-based multidisciplinary artist,聽Lum is best known internationally for his large-scale public commissions that speak to issues of personal and cultural identity in a globalized world. He gives an illustrated talk on his work, titled 鈥淎rt in the Public Sphere鈥�, at 91亚色 on April 24.

Noack, a curator whose exhibitions on the theme of 鈥淒ie Regierung/The Government鈥� have been shown in the United States and across Europe for the past decade, speaks on 鈥淢aking Exhibitions in a Global Context鈥� April 26.

As a professor at McGill University, Jones has written widely on contemporary art and on feminist, queer and anti-racist approaches to visual culture. She discusses her research findings in her April 30 talk, 鈥淨ueer Feminist Durationality: The Trace of the Subject in Contemporary Art鈥�.

As part of their residency in the Goldfarb Summer Institute, all four presenters will meet with graduate students in visual arts and art history at 91亚色鈥檚 Keele campus for informal discussions, seminars, critiques and studio visits.

The 聽Joan聽and Martin Goldfarb Summer Institute in Visual Arts offers 91亚色 graduate students and the wider community the opportunity to engage with prominent international artists, curators, cultural theorists and critics through seminars, workshops, courses and public lectures.

The Summer Institute is named in recognition of Joan and Martin Goldfarb, longstanding supporters of 91亚色's Faculty of Fine Arts, whose generous gift has made this annual residency program possible.

Ariella Azoulay: 鈥淧otential History鈥�
Presented in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA)
When: Thurs. May 3, 7 to 9pm
Where: MOCCA, 952 Queen Street West, Toronto
Admission: Free

Ken Lum: 鈥淎rt in the Public Sphere鈥�
When: Tues. April 24, 2:30 to 4pm
Where: Room 334, Joan & Martin Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts, 91亚色, 4700 Keele St.
Admission: Free

Ruth Noack: 鈥淢aking Exhibitions in a Global Context鈥�
When: Thurs. April 26, 2:30 to 4pm
Where: Room 334, Joan & Martin Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts
Admission: Free

Amelia Jones: 鈥淨ueer Feminist Durationality: The Trace of the Subject in Contemporary Art鈥�
When: Mon. April 30, 2:30 to 4pm
Where: Room 338, Joan & Martin Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts, 91亚色, 4700 Keele St.
Admission: Free

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Jaime Angelopoulos鈥� large-format drawing,聽罢丑颈别蹿,听and Julieta Maria鈥檚 four-minute digital video,聽Soil, are now part of this outstanding collection of works created by then-emerging artists, reflecting 聽the evolution of artistic sensibility, technology and expression over the past 35 years.

Right: "Thief" by Jaime Angelopoulos

Toronto philanthropist Samuel Sarick established the Purchase Award in1976 鈥� just two years after聽91亚色's Graduate Program in Visual Arts was established. Each year since then, one or more works have been selected for acquisition from the thesis exhibitions of students graduating from the program. In addition to serving as a showcase of the leading edge of contemporary work, the collection is an important component of the historical record of the visual arts department and its alumni.

(MFA 鈥�10) identifies herself as a sculptor who also works in installation and large-scale drawing.

鈥淢y drawings often depict aspects of my sculptural forms, while also informing the sculpture-making process,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y current drawings combine graphic geometric fragments and bright color hues with organic shapes and textures evocative of animals. To reconcile oppositional elements within a drawing is to discover a balance between contradictory ideas.鈥�

Angelopoulos has an upcoming solo show May 4 to 21 at Toronto鈥檚 , located at 401 Richmond St. W. The opening reception takes place Friday, May 4 from 8 to 10pm.

Angelopoulos has presented her work across Canada and beyond. Her solo exhibitions and performances include venues such as Parisian Laundry in Montreal, Stride Gallery in Calgary, Anna Leonowens Gallery in Halifax, Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, Texas, and at the Banff Centre for the Arts.

In contrast to Angelopoulos鈥� physical art-making, (BFA 鈥�04, MFA 鈥�10) is a new media artist working in a variety of media including video, interactive video installations and web. Soil is a prime example of her recent work, which centres on video documentation of staged actions.

Soil shows the artist鈥檚 face in profile, open-mouthed, lying horizontally against a white background. Soil starts pouring down from the upper side of the frame, gradually filling her mouth.

鈥淐loseness to the earth implies being close to life and death, to the visceral,鈥� said Maria.

Left: A scene from "Soil" by Julieta Maria

鈥淚n the video, I take the soil trying to engage in minimal movement or expression. The openness of the mouth, however, gives a sense of willingness to receive the dirt. It鈥檚 a situation that is not resolved, as the soil keeps falling and accumulating. The soil comes from above, as a kind of fate.鈥�

Maria is a co-founder of in Toronto, where she currently serves as executive director. She has participated in several international screenings and exhibitions, including Scope Basel in Switzerland in 2010, the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics in Colombia in 2009, and the Interactiva Biennale in Mexico 2009, among others.

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Established and emerging artists in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Fine Arts bring their collective talents to a riveting new production of a baroque classic: Henry Purcell鈥檚 opera Dido and Aeneas. This epic story of love and betrayal plays out at the Sandra Faire聽& Ivan Fecan Theatre on 91亚色鈥檚 Keele campus for two performances only, March 1 and 2.

Lead artists Joseph Farahat and Charlotte Gagnon

Based on a chapter from The Aeneid, penned by the Roman poet Virgil in the first century BC, Dido and Aeneas recounts the tragic tale of Dido, Queen of Carthage, and the Trojan hero Aeneas. Dido loses her heart to the fierce, handsome warrior Aeneas after he is shipwrecked on her shores, only to be devastated when he abandons her to continue his quest to find Rome.

This story of doomed love has resounded through two millennia. 91亚色鈥檚 production, a collaboration between faculty and students from the departments of Music, Theatre and Dance, is a strikingly contemporary but timeless re-imagining. Thirty performers play the characters as well as the place, forming a living set on an otherwise empty stage.

鈥淭丑颈蝉 Dido project is the realization of a dream I鈥檝e had since I joined 91亚色,鈥� said Professor Catherine Robbin (left), who heads聽91亚色鈥檚 classical vocal music program. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much talent and expertise in our performance programs, and it鈥檚 a joy to bring it together in an opera production. The experience of combining our creative energies is tremendously exciting and rewarding, both for the students involved and for those of us who teach and work professionally in the field.鈥�

An internationally renowned mezzo soprano, Robbin fills the dual roles of music director and producer for the production. She is no stranger to Dido and Aeneas, having sung the title role in the 1982 Stratford Festival production, which earned her critical accolades as聽 鈥渁 voice which is unquestionably the greatest, in its range, that Canada has produced in several decades鈥� (The Globe and Mail). Her discography features many baroque composers, including Purcell, Handel and Vivaldi, in collaborations with leading conductors such as Christopher Hogwood, Trevor Pinnock and John Eliot Gardiner.

Presiding over the orchestra pit for 91亚色鈥檚 Dido and Aeneas is Robbin鈥檚 Music Department colleague, award-winning choral conductor and composer Professor Stephanie Martin (above). Martin, who serves as music director for the historic Church of St. Mary Magdalene and conductor of Toronto鈥檚 Pax Christi Chorale, directs the 16- member 91亚色 Baroque Ensemble.

The stage director is theatre Professor Gwen Dobie (left), who brings extensive directing credits in contemporary opera and theatre to the table. Dobie鈥榮聽most recent productions include 翱辫别谤补听贰谤辞迟颈辩耻别 and Sound in Silence for her company, Out of the Box Productions; the Canadian premiere of the Danish opera On this Planet by Anders Nordendoft; and the world premiere of the opera Eyes on the Mountain by Canadian composer Christopher Donison.

Susan Lee (BFA 鈥�90, MFA 鈥�10), an alumna and current faculty member in 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Dance, brings her long-standing interest in interdisciplinary collaboration to Dido and Aeneas. In a performance career spanning two decades and three continents, Lee has originated roles in almost 50 world premieres by some of Canada鈥檚 most highly acclaimed choreographers. Her own choreography has been described as 鈥溾�� a tour de force of magic and mystery鈥� (The Globe and Mail). She brings that magic to bear on this production, contributing original choreography to the work.

Starring in the role of Dido is fourth-year music major Charlotte Gagnon. Gagnon recently won first prize at the Newmarket Voice Festival Senior Scholarship Competition, as well as two awards for opera performance and the prize for outstanding performing ability and career potential in classical singing. She also placed second in her class at the 2011 National Association of Teachers of Singing Ontario chapter competition.

First-year music student Joseph Farahat sings the role of Aeneas. Both young artists are studying with eminent soprano Norma Burrowes in 91亚色鈥檚 classical vocal performance program.

In total, the cast for Dido and Aeneas features 21 singers, four actors and five dancers. Not only performers, they also play an active role on the production side. Dressed all in white, they have designed their own costumes based on their personae in Purcell鈥檚 opera 鈥� or 聽in the case of the non-speaking roles, inspired by characters drawn from the classical literature of five centuries, who were betrayed or betrayers in their time.

Eschewing a physical set, Professor Elizabeth Asselstine, chair of the Department of Theatre, and Professor William Mackwood, who teaches design and production in the Department of Dance, have created elaborate lighting and projection designs for the show. Working with a technical team of four theatre students, they paint the white-costumed canvas of the performers with evocative colour and special effects.

Tickets聽are $17, or $12 for students and seniors.聽For tickets, contact the Box Office at 416-736-5888.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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From investigating how typography could reduce medication errors to using math as a tool to teach jazz, Faculty of Fine Arts scholars and practitioners have a fascinating array of research projects to share聽during the Fine Arts Research Celebration Monday, Feb. 6.

Robert Hach茅, vice-president research & innovation, and Barbara Sellers-Young, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, are co-hosting the event, which takes place from 2 to 4 pm in the McLean Performance Studio, 244 Accolade East Building, Keele campus. Everyone is welcome to attend the free celebration, but an RSVP is requested. You can RSVP or call Lia Novario at ext. 33782. Light refreshments will be provided.

Right:聽Nancy Latoszewski performing

The program features a live dance performance, film clips and four presentations that showcase some of the diverse academic and applied creative work being done by Fine Arts faculty and graduate student researchers.

鈥淭丑颈蝉 research celebration highlights multi-disciplinarity in the Faculty of Fine Arts, from dance to music to digital media and beyond,鈥� said Hach茅. 鈥淲e invite the 91亚色 research community to join us to learn more about the exceptional research activities taking place in this Faculty.鈥�

鈥淭he arts are so much more than entertainment,鈥� says Sellers-Young. 鈥淎rts and culture are at the heart of our day-to-day lives, and those who are engaged in the arts 鈥� as practising artists, theorists, historians, critics and many other ways 鈥� play an important role in shaping civic society and addressing the critical issues of our day. The presentations at the Fine Arts Research Celebration illustrate this engagement and the diverse contributions our researchers are making.鈥�

Visitors to the Fine Arts Research Celebration will be greeted by clips of visual arts Professor Katherine Knight鈥檚 vivid feature documentary, . Knight鈥檚 film follows the renowned Canadian artist as she prepares massive new works depicting archetypal cities and familiar, yet disquieting, landscapes for two 30-year retrospectives 鈥� one at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and another at the National Art Gallery in Ottawa.

Left: Wanda Koop in a still from the film KOOP: The Art of Wanda Koop

Drawing the viewer into the framework in which the artist works, the film explores the science of vision, colour and perception 鈥� including Koop鈥檚 visit to 91亚色鈥檚 Centre for Vision Research to have her vision tested in the 3D Vision Research lab. (See YFile story Feb. 22, 2011.)

Design Professor will present a talk, titled 鈥淓valuating Graphic Design for Patient Safety: An investigation of the Use of Typographic Principles to Differentiate Look-Alike Medication Names鈥�.

She was the principal investigator on a recent study conducted at Toronto鈥檚 University Health Network, investigating how the principles and practices of graphic design and typography might be used for interventions intended to help health-care professionals make accurate medication selections.

Right: An example of using Tallman lettering with parts of the word enhanced to help distinguish it from similar medication names

鈥淲e know that look-alike, or orthographically similar, medication names are one of the causes of medication errors,鈥� says Gabriele. 鈥淭allman lettering (enhancement of words by changing parts of the word to capital letters) is currently recommended to help differentiate similar names.鈥�

In her new study, she tested tallman lettering applied to look-alike medication names alongside other ways of enhancing names using three different scenarios. 鈥淩esults indicated that tallman lettering might not be as effective as previously reported,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he research also revealed the importance of designing and testing interventions for specific users in contexts that reflect actual situations and activities in practice.鈥�

In his lecture-demonstration 鈥淢usic is Math: An effective Approach to Teaching Jazz Improvisation within General Music Education鈥�, Professor Ron Westray听(濒别蹿迟), 91亚色鈥檚 Oscar Peterson Chair in Jazz Performance, explores how the mathematical qualities inherent in western music can be used as a tool for ear training through music improv.

鈥淵ou can view the chord-to-scale relationship in jazz improvisation as virtual data that can be transposed throughout relative and absolute functions, much like basic math,鈥� says Westray. 鈥淭ranslating music into math helps demystify simple improvisation. It levels the playing field and makes it easier for non-specialists to teach jazz improv.鈥�

Westray, an internationally known jazz trombonist, will illustrate the concept by means of a PowerPoint presentation punctuated with live performance examples, including the participation of聽jazz majors from the Department of Music.

Digital Media Professor Mark-David Hosale聽will discuss 鈥淣onlinear Narrative as a Conceptual Framework for Media Art鈥�, with an overview of the core technical and esthetic motivations unpinning his work as a media artist.

Right: Digital media art by Mark-David Hosale

鈥淭he approach to addressing narrative issues in my work is derived from thinking of narrative as a model of knowledge,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 see the stories we tell each other and ourselves as an expression of what we know. From this perspective, my works can be understood as knowledge spaces that are a conceptual reflection of a modern understanding of knowledge and nature, which is inherently nonlinear.鈥�

The challenge of capturing the qualities of nonlinear narratives has led Hosale to develop an abstract model useful in the conceptual analysis and practical development of his work. In his presentation, he will explain how the model is based on a composite of operations, structures and characteristics that provide the governing principles behind a software framework and hardware platform.

Canadian dance history is the focus of the presentation by dance Professors Darcey Callison and Carol Anderson,聽and Professor Emerita Selma Odom. They will read excerpts from their contributions to , an anthology to accompany an exhibition of the same name organized by Dance Collection Danse in partnership with the Theatre Museum of Canada.

During the 1970s dance boom, audiences worldwide flocked to performances. Artists were energized and innovative. In Canada, dance finally found an intellectual home in universities across the country. The decade was also defined in Canada by political, social and cultural debate inspired by second-wave feminism, gay rights, multiculturalism, separatism and nationalism.

How was this turbulent decade reflected in dance? How did the major issues and ideas of the day inspire or influence dancers and choreographers, and how did they respond? Renegade Bodies: Canadian Dance in the 1970s explores how the art form contributed to, and was informed by, this vibrant zeitgeist.

Moving from the page to the stage, dance MFA candidate Nancy Latoszewski will perform a five-minute excerpt from her solo dance, Carriage. The work revisits the challenge she faced in transitioning from the life of a prima ballerina to motherhood. While intensely personal, the work also speaks to the wider experience of undergoing a tremendous life change. Through her choreographic and performance research, with works such as Carriage, Latoszewski investigates how danced narratives can communicate personal stories and contribute to current interests in oral history and storytelling.

In addition to the public presentations, there will be a display of books and materials in other publication formats.

Visitors will have the opportunity to engage with other research projects by Fine Arts faculty on Fine Arts Research Day in Vari Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 29, from 10am to 2pm, as part of 91亚色鈥檚 Research Month.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Every Wednesday throughout the month, Vari Hall Rotunda will play host to displays and demonstrations featuring the University鈥檚 faculty and graduate researchers. Drop by to learn what they are up to.

"Research Month provides an opportunity for the 91亚色 community to share knowledge and ideas as we celebrate excellence in research and scholarship at the University,鈥� said Robert Hach茅, vice-president research & innovation. 鈥淲e invite students, staff and faculty to drop by Vari Hall on Wednesdays in February to explore the many research projects and to learn more about the range of research activities at 91亚色.鈥�

The Research Month index on 91亚色's Research website contains complete information about the researchers and research centres and institutes participating in the event.

Social sciences and humanities research 鈥� Feb. 1, from noon to 2pm.

Confirmed participants include:

• Assets Coming Together for Youth: Linking Research Policy and Action for Positive Youth Development
• Canadian Business Ethics Research Network
• The City Institute at 91亚色
• Professor , Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
• Professor 聽鈥� Children as Peacemakers
• The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
• The Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migration of African Peoples
• , Department of Humanities, Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
• The Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies
• The 91亚色 Centre for Asian Research
• 91亚色 Centre for Education and Community

Science and engineering research 鈥� Wednesday, Feb. 8, from 10am to 2pm.

Confirmed participants include:

• 鈥� Professor , Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health
• The Faculty of Environmental Studies
• IRIS
• Four Grad students from Professor 's lab, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science聽& Engineering
• Professor , Department of Earth & Space Science聽& Engineering, Faculty of Science聽& Engineering
• Professor , Department of Computer Science聽& Engineering, Faculty of Science聽& Engineering
• Professor Gunho Sohn, Department of Earth & Space Science聽& Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering
• Professor , Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty聽of Science & Engineering

Health research displays will be showcased Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 10am to 2pm, and fine and performing arts research will be featured Wednesday, Feb. 29, from 10am to 2pm. Check back often for more information by clicking here.

Want to participate?

Do you have completed works, prototypes, technology or works in progress that you could demonstrate? Do you have graduate or undergraduate students working with you who could assist and help talk about the work? If you have other ideas, VPRI would love to hear them.

Interested faculty members or research centres should contact Arielle Zomer in the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation at ext. 21069 or azomer@yorku.ca. Note that space is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.

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