FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 9th, 2015
Explosion of Visual Art Planned for Northern Lights Festival
Sudbury, ON – Sudbury’s Northern Lights Festival Boréal is one of Canada’s original music festivals, presenting an eclectic blend of roots, indie, world, and modern music each July. The Festival announced an exciting and diverse lineup in April, featuring: experimental indie rockers Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, iconic Canadian songstress Sarah Harmer, as well as the triumphant return of the 26 piece party machine Melbourne Ska Orchestra. But the festival isn’t just about music, and this year organizers have planned a major boost to the visual arts element of the event.
NLFB has partnered once again with Sudbury’s Myths & Mirrors Community Arts to coordinate the Visual Arts Village of the festival. Expect to see painters creating alongside musical performances, artists at work on various projects, as well as stilting and other circus-style performance arts. In addition, NLFB has created its own ‘site decor committee’ focussing exclusively on the visual impact and design of the festival site.
Organizers are also thrilled to announce a new partnership with North Bay artist Clayton Windatt and his "Future In Safe Hands Collective" (FISH). The collective will be engaging the festival audience and bringing a series of installations to Sudbury with the project "Mishi Namewag".
“Mishi-Namewag represents how all-encompassing the Aboriginal world is, and sends a message of the land being alive to those that do not already know it, says Windatt, describing the project. “Seeing a giant illuminated sea creature moving through the waterways will both be fantastical to witness but also heartwarming and create a deep appreciation for Aboriginal specific contemporary arts practices. As the object represents a giant fishing lure it become symbolic of human created objects but transcends that concept through the representation of spirit.”
NLFB has also established an exciting partnership with the Espanola Fibre Arts Festival, who will also be creating installations at Northern Lights in July. The group will be bringing pieces from a collaborative project which involves the creation of a massive fibre coral reef. Fibre artists from near and far will be contributing sea creatures & coral structures all created from fibre – yarn, fabric, wood & paper.
“A festival is much more than simply a concert, and that’s what prompts this boost in visual art, installations and site decor,” says Festival Director Max Merrifield, “All aspects of an event like ours contribute to a cohesive experience. The more people’s minds are stimulated by works of art, culinary delights, and one-of-a-kind events, the more opportunity we have to celebrate together, learn from each other, and build a creative, vibrant, inclusive community.”
Northern Lights Festival Boréal will transform Sudbury's Bell Park July 3rd-5th. Tickets are currently on-sale at outlets throughout the city: Old Rock Roastery, Jett Landry Music, Walden Home Hardware, Hanmer Home Hardware, Second Avenue Home Hardware, Garson, Home Hardware, Gloria's Convenience, A&J Home Hardware, and the Laurentian University SGA Office. Tickets, the full lineup, and other information can be found online at: www.nlfbsudbury.com.
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