Paris, La Nuit

Paris, La Nuit and Totally Multi are happening in conjunction with The Language of Visual Poetry (September 12 to November 2), an exhibition of Tourbin’s work curated by Marcie Bronson and organized by Rodman Hall Art Centre/Brock University. The Language of Visual Poetry is presented by the Art Gallery of Peterborough and hosted by Artspace, institutions Dennis had a strong association with and which are both celebrating their 40th anniversaries in 2014.

Artspace and Public Energy present 
Paris, La Nuit by Dennis Tourbin

Actor Edwin Conroy (from Dennis’s home town, St. Catharines) with the Niagara Artists Centre has done a masterful job of re-creating Tourbin himself in one of his signature ‘painted plays’, Paris, La Nuit, a colourful comic romp through the streets of Paris written in the the form of letters home to friends in Canada. An excerpt of the full-length work is presented here.

Edwin Conroy Jr. performing in Paris, La Nuit – a multimedia installation and performance by Dennis Tourbin (1982). From the Collection of Nadia Laham. Paris, La Nuit was produced by the Niagara Artists Centre in 2012. Photo: Sandy Fairbairn © CARCC, 2014.

Public Energy and Artsweek Peterborough present
Totally Multi: Dennis Tourbin’s World of Performance

An event celebrating the legacy of poet/painter/performance artist Dennis Tourbin (1949-1998), a pioneer of Peterborough’s contemporary art scene. Featuring performances and appearances by artists – both young and younger – from Peterborough, Toronto, Ottawa and St Catharines.

Totally Multi features performances – both live and on video – by artists who Dennis worked with, going back to the 1970s, as well as today’s generation of performers, artists and writers. They will perform Dennis’s original performance and poetry, and in some cases present new interpretations and reconfigurations of Dennis’s highly varied output, which included paintings, video, performance art and poems for multiple voices and musical accompaniment. The event will cast a light on an important time – 1974 to 1984 – in the development of Peterborough’s contemporary arts culture with additional performances of work from artists who lived in Peterborough during that time.

Vintage Video: Tourbin joins Ward Maxwell for a reading of Ward’s poem for two voices, The Dog Is On Fire. 1984 at the Jolly Hangman Pub, Trent University, Peterborough. Enjoy the video here.

Totally Multi takes its name from the phrase Dennis would use to describe the most exciting event you could possibly go to. How great was that show Dennis? “Billy there was video and performance art and holograms and a band and it was so totally multi you wouldn’t have believed it not for a minute.” That’s the spirit we hope will infuse this event.