Anda Pop Up: Reflection On the Don

Anda tells the hidden stories of this city that we love so much. Over the past 2 years we have done so in-format of an artist residency. This Anda event is a pop-up event that will engage in art and conversation over the course of one evening. At this event we will gather in an unclaimed space which is both known and hidden to those of us who call Toronto home.

We will be planting ourselves in a space whose ownership feel confusing at best and use that as a platform to discuss our evolving relationship with ownership of space. We will explore the idea of space - who lost it, who has it, and who will possess it?

But perhaps like all Anda events, the space we gather in will evoke as many questions as it answers.

What belongs to mother nature?
What belongs to native stewards of our lands?
What belongs to the commons?
What belongs to people?
What belongs to the city?
Who is the city? Corporations? Citizens?

Indigenous peoples have been stewards the lands of Kanada for many years prior to us, the settlers. Since then we have seen a steady increase in privatization of public spaces and utilities.

So who protects and owns this land? Who looks after the interests of its future stewards?

This event will host a series of experiences, using art to bridge the conversation.

The flow will take you through a journey of heart, intellect and soul.
-Guided Sound Meditation
-Indigenous History
-Panel Discussion on Spaces
-Live Performances

Call for Applications: Anda Residency

The story of rooming houses, and of this particular residency, is one of increasing relevance for our city.  Rooming houses host some of our city’s most vulnerable population that live well below the poverty line. The conditions of these spaces vary significantly, but common characteristics are small, single-room, shared amenities (kitchen, toilet, bathing facilities), and very low rent.  A report written by University of Toronto professor, Emily Paradis, shares, “Dwelling rooms (another term for rooming house) have played a vital role in the development of cities, meeting the need for housing that is affordable, low-barrier, and sometimes temporary. The reflect their cities’ history, built form and economy.”  Though activists and community groups are working hard to protect these spaces, in Toronto and around North America, we continue to lose these spaces as our city develops and expands.

The focus of Anda_2 is to tell the story of these spaces, their residents and how this unfolds in our cityscape.

For our second Anda Residency we will be occupying a portion of a Riverdale rooming house.

Dates: April 1-29, 2019.

Our artists-in-residence will occupy a space in a rooming house, where we will be sharing space with the last of its remaining residents. Only 9 of the 24 residents remain; holding onto the weeks or months that they have left in their home.  Thereafter these residents will be shifted to a new home somewhere in the GTHA.

To help weave the story of these residents with the story of our city,, we are looking for 1-3 visual artists or collective and 3-5 non-visual artists (poets, writers, map makers, performers, etc.) to use their craft to tell the story of these spaces.  Artists-in-residence will be given space and material to create during the Anda 4-week residency.

The square footage of this residency is intentionally small.  To feel the squeeze of confinement.

The timeline of this residency is intentionally short.  To feel the great sense of urgency that surround space and place in our city.  Let’s step into that discomfort.

We are now accepting artist applications.  

Application open from March 8 to 20.  Successful applicants will be notified by March 23.  

They are looking for urbanists, artists, community folks, academics and people with lived expertise to share knowledge, stories and have conversations with our artists-in-residence.  If you are interested click here to share more!

Note: Anda understands the emotional labour that this residency may entail.  There will be space holders and councillors available for artists to talk through any personal challenges they may experience in this residency.