This week’s best parties include the grand opening of Milk Glass Co. Gallery, MOCCA’s VIDEODROME 2012 party, and a launch party for SummerWorks.
Thursday: Milk Glass Co. Gallery Grand Opening
1247 Dundas Street West. #DNW Free. 7 p.m.
Don’t look now, but there’s a new art gallery in town. (Kidding, you can totally look.) Anchored in Little Portugal, just off the Land of Oz, Milk Glass Co. Gallery quietly opened almost a month ago. The sweet little space/shop also specializes in archival custom framing for all our milk money budgets. To celebrate the opening proper, the space is mounting Milk Show, a group show that will showcase milk glass-themed pieces that pay homage to the gallery’s namesake. Here’s the inner workings: “Milk Glass, as a theme, can be viewed literally or figuratively, depending on the artist’s interpretation. The opaque, milky white texture is the most common feature represented throughout the show.” Well, it sounds totally on brand, which seems to be working for them. (I mean, how cute is their phone number: 416-536-MILK?). Find out more about participating artists here.
Friday: VIDEODROME 2012 & BYOB II
Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, 952 Queen Street West. #WQW PWYC before 9 p.m., $10 after. 7 p.m.
There’s something slightly comforting about a party called BYOB that has nothing to do with booze. Instead, it’s the second instalment of Bring Your Own Beamer, a series of one-night exhibitions that import artists and their projectors for your multi-sensory pleasure. It’s all in conjunction with VIDEODROME 2012, an A/V event that takes the reins at 10 p.m. and is described thusly: “to thrill, delight and disgust. An exercise in televisionary excess… beyond party, beyond culture, beyond entertainment.” The event has quietly amassed a curious following of the fringes of the digital age. Essentially: an audio-visual overdose with tunes and tricks and treats and half of everybody’s Facebook friends. Find out more here.
Friday: FUCK IT, the one-year anniversary edition
Clinton’s, 693 Bloor Street West. #CHP Free. 10 p.m.
So, remember how we talked about Bangs & Blush earlier this week? Well, it’s time to let them show you how they throw down at the big birthday blowout for their FUCK IT party. Lindsay Darling, one half of the DJ duo, aptly describes her little jam like this: “One completely out of control, guilty pleasure-filled night coupled with a giant clusterfuck of music. That sums it up in less than 60 seconds.” Look for surprises—and prizes!—along with beats ranging from Britney Spears to ODB. And maybe a little S Club 7 (before three of them reunited for this mess on Australian television last week). Our childhoods can live on for one more night. Maybe. Find out more here.
Saturday: SummerWorks launch party
Mercer Union, 1286 Bloor Street West. #JNT PWYC. 8 p.m.
SummerWorks is the largest juried theatre festival in Canada that provides a platform for original works that come out of (and reflect) our great nation and its shape-shifting nature. That is to say it’s all about being homegrown and supporting local talent. This weekend is the launch of the new festival year, and all the theatrephiles will converge on Mercer Union to celebrate. (If you haven’t been to the Mercer space yet, it’s Bloor West’s hidden gem for contemporary art, with a killer patio.) Hosted by Ron Pederson, look for performances by west-coasters Atomic Vaudeville and local heroine Nina Arsenault. It’s pay what you can, so support the arts, because no one else seems to be doing it. Find out more here.
Saturday: Sunnyside Pavilion, a beach-adjacent jam
With Various DJs. 1755 Lakeshore Blvd W. $25 advance tickets here. Doors at 10 p.m.
I’ve resolved to label fewer parties as a “rave,” for fear of promoting a misguided faux-naissance. Last time we ran into the men behind Promise, they rented out a circus training studio on Sterling and we all went nuts. This time, it’s closer to summer and we want more of that rave realness, so, maybe, I guess, this Sunnyside jam is as close to the nostalgia as we’ll get without getting sick. There’s not much more to say because, in this case, experiencing is believing. Rain or shine, glow in the dark with five DJs, including Halo and Dinamo Azari (yup, from Azari & III). Also, think: “in the garden, by the lake, under the stars.” Sold. Find out more here.
