Queer Frontiers: James Knott
For the fifth Queer Frontiers event, LOMAA is excited to welcome James Knott who was originally slated to kick off the entire series back in March 2020!
Knott will be presenting an online film adaptation of their performance The Apocalypse In Your Bedroom The Movie as well as a virtual artist talk. This event is presented in partnership with Artlab Gallery.
Below you will find details about the event, the artist, and the collaborator. Please send a message to cnegus@lomaa.ca with questions on accessibility or viewing.
The Apocalypse In Your Bedroom The Movie
Sunday, October 24, 2021 – Sunday, October 31, 2021
You can view the film on LOMAA’s Vimeo page during the dates stated above: https://vimeo.com/lomaa
Accessibility Note: Closed captioning will be available.
Virtual Artist Talk
Saturday, October 30, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. ET
Advance registration through Eventbrite is required:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/queer-frontiers-james-knott-artist-talk-tickets-190519026537
Zoom Link: You will be provided with the Zoom link to attend the talk within the Eventbrite registration confirmation email.
Accessibility Note: ASL Interpretation and Zoom closed captioning will be available during the talk.
Update November 1, 2021: The video recording of the artist talk with James is now available for viewing until November 4, 2021 on LOMAA’s Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/641372205
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The Apocalypse In Your Bedroom The Movie [Video, 2020]
This film adaptation of the award-winning, self-mythologized facade of a rock show incorporates life-sized video projection, original music, gestural choreography and on-the-go stage props to coalesce into a black-box style theatrical spectacle meets dirty diary, exploring the elusive and dichotomous nature of queer identity. With a reliance on the grimy mustard-coloured lights and sequins of 70s glam rock aesthetics, the protagonist travels the mental collapse of a dark night of the soul, searching for purpose in a world that doesn’t care to be purposeful. Themes include rejection, broken promises, wishes on a star, deals with the devil and packing up to leave with no intention of return… leaving behind the ghost of glitter’s past.
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James Knott is an emerging, Toronto-based artist, having received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Integrated Media from OCAD University . Their performance-based practice combines theatre, video, and audio art to create immersive and emotionally resonant experiences for the viewer. Explored themes include: paradoxical and queer identity, inner dialogue, mental illness, and camp theatrics. A recent alumni of The Roundtable Residency, they’ve exhibited/performed at Xpace Cultural Centre, Feminist Art Conference, The Artist Project Contemporary Art Fair, the 7a*11d International Festival of Performance Art, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, and the AGO’s First Thursdays.
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LOMAA’s Queer Frontiers critically reflects on Canada’s 50th anniversary celebration of the purported “decriminalization” of homosexuality in the country. Serving as a counter to the state revelries, LOMAA will host eight artists, artist duos, or curators who have established practices post-legislation and remain on the frontiers of Canadian queer media. This project centres queer narratives and praxis as a means to interrogate historical representation and continue fortifying queer futures within this country.
For more background information, please visit: https://anti-69.ca/
Located in the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre at Western University, the Artlab Gallery is a vital part of the Department of Visual Arts. The Gallery is focused on projects that involve and respond to social and cultural issues, primarily supporting the research and practice of students and faculty. Each year approximately 14 projects and events are presented, exploring conceptual and experimental production that includes a wide range of mediums.
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LOMAA would like to thank Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and the London Arts Council for their support of this program and their continued backing, as well as our partner Artlab Gallery.