Parade date: Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Rain date: Thursday, September 19, 2024
Location: University of Toronto Mississauga campus, 3359 Mississauga Road
Most public spaces and gatherings are inherently high-stimulation. Competing sounds, bright lights, scented products, unpredictable crowds, and the like present barriers to those who thrive in low-stimulation environments.
QUIET PARADE invites artists and the public to participate in creating a sensory-friendly, float-based ensemble that experiments with unconventional approaches to celebration and accessibility. Like a traditional parade, a series of discrete expressions come together to compose a multifaceted whole. One might encounter a marching band whispering songs of peace, joyful public stimming, heaping armfuls of soft sculpture worms, a dance between a broom and a walker, and more.
Unlike traditional parades, QUIET PARADE is experimental as much as it is experiential, and dependent on everyone’s contributions to shape it. This project is guided by the desire for pleasurable, joyful, and extravagant experiences of accessibility in the broadest possible terms—with all the improvisation and messiness that entails. QUIET PARADE embraces our shared interdependence, approaching the creation of access as an ongoing, iterative, relational process and a deep source of possibility, connection, and magic.
Gathering together can happen in a multitude of dreamed-for, yet-to-be-experienced ways. Please join us in creating QUIET PARADE this September.
FLOAT DESCRIPTIONS
What are the unspoken rules for gathering, and who decides them? How can we support divergent needs and redirect our assemblies towards different goals? What would a more accessible world feel, smell, and sound like? In a world prioritizing the able-bodied and fast-paced, what tools and practices support diverse tactile, olfactory, and auditory experiences? These questions are central to QUIET PARADE, a near-silent procession fostering mutual support and acknowledging barriers faced by underrepresented communities. Contributing artists challenge social norms, reappraising neurodivergence and disability to balance diverse needs and reshape conceptions of accessibility in socially conscious, embodied, and collaborative ways.
QUIET PARADE opens with signage carried by the UTM Office of Indigenous Initiatives. They are followed by Trevor Copp, a mime, setting the tone for quiet and mutual care. The FlagSSS Day Collective’s slow-moving flag corps guides the parade with gentle, snail-inspired movements.
Ame Henderson’s mobile raft, made with her children and their possessions, reflects a child’s sense of time and space. Rhonda Weppler and Trevor Mahovsky’s reimagined marching band introduces the calming sounds of a distant storm, embracing inclement weather usually unwelcome at conventional parades.
The parade engages with various modes of communication. Atanas Bozdarov’s captions enhance the visual experience while challenging traditional access systems available in public spaces. Deaf Spectrum showcases poetic American Sign Language music. St Marie φ Walker’s installation is made up of performers with gilded text on t-shirts carrying large protest signs, reconfiguring into formations to explore collaborative statement-making. Meanwhile, Peter Owusu-Ansah’s coloured squares reflects his quest to experience and share the richest colours possible from his Deaf perspective.
Different sensory needs are addressed through various contributions. HUSH BAND subverts the traditional role of marching bands associated with war by advocating for peace and quiet connection. Sof Kreidstein celebrates neurodivergent expression through colourful, multi-textured garments and stim toys, visually amplifying neurodiverse movement and touch. Germaine Liu and Mark Zurawinski’s LOUD ZONE invites collaborative sonic play.
Interdependence and connectivity are imperative to this project. Birdie Gerhl’s performance, inviting audience members to assist in carrying sculptural worms, transforms seeking care into a shared effort. The Not Yet Collective engages attendees in art-making activities to explore accessibility, emphasizing access intimacy.
Themes of care, labour, and refuge are highlighted by Julian A M.P.’s oversized books symbolizing reference and escape, Lorena Torres Loaiza’s imaginary home reflecting a yearning for safe spaces for all, and Leena Raudvee leading a maintenance crew while using a walker, underscoring the adaptation and resilience needed to ensure accessibility. Her work draws attention to the invisible yet vital efforts that support community. QUIET PARADE opens up possibilities for collective access-creation and sharing space otherwise.
ACCESSIBILITY AND SAFETY
Please see full accessibility details in our Access Guide.
The parade venue is fully accessible for individuals requiring barrier-free access. It is located outdoors on the UTM campus, with ramps and curb cuts in place to facilitate movement. Wayfinding signage and volunteers will be available to assist participants and audience members in navigating the site. Accessible, multi-user, gendered washrooms are located at ground level in buildings along the parade route.
In recognition of those who are at high risk, we invite and encourage you to wear a mask if that is accessible to you. There will be masks and hand sanitizer available at the parade info desks. We ask that you do not attend if you have COVID-19. Thank you for helping to keep each other safe in this ongoing pandemic.
The UTM Library has put together a list of additional resources, Beyond Barriers: Understanding Accessibility and Cross-Disability, available online here now until September 20, 2024 and on view at the Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre until September 30, 2024.
PARADE ROUTE AND SITE INFO
Free shuttle buses from Keele Station to UTM will be available.
PARTICIPATION PROTOCOLS
How can I express enthusiasm and appreciation in quiet or low-stimulation ways?
Simply being present and experiencing the parade is meaningful. Some other ideas include waving, smiling, and ASL applause (wave both hands in the air using a twisting motion). Flags are available at the Info Tables to hold and/or wave.
What if I don’t want to receive a take-away or interact with the parade artists?
Some floats have interactive elements or offerings, such as charms and handmade stim toys. It’s okay if you do not wish to interact or receive an item. Some ways you can communicate this are by taking a step backwards when someone approaches, shaking your head ‘no,’ or holding up your hand in a ‘stop’ motion. Parade artists respect and affirm that there are many ways to participate.
What is low-stimulation access and how do we create it together?
Some people thrive in quiet, calm spaces without a lot of sound, light, or other forms of stimulation. You can help make QUIET PARADE low-stimulation by being quiet (whispering or speaking softly if you need to talk to someone), moving more slowly, being mindful of other people’s personal space, and not using lights or noisemakers unless a louder volume is required. Creating a low-stimulation parade is a big experiment. We are working to minimize barriers, and we invite everyone’s help. There are factors outside our control, however. Please do what you need to take care of yourself and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need support.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
A series of art-making workshops offering opportunities to engage more deeply with the parade, its artists, and their practices. Join us in creating textile-based stim-toys for yourself and others, building instruments for a gentle rain orchestra, and making flags for a snail-inspired flags corps.
All are welcome. Free to attend.
In Touch / In Motion: A Stim Toy-making Workshop
Saturday, September 7, 12–2pm
Tangled Art + Disability, 401 Richmond St W, Toronto, Suite 124
Parade on Your Rain: Instrument-making and Playing Workshop
Wednesday, September 11, 5–8pm
Blackwood Gallery, 140 Kaneff Centre
Slowcore FlagSSS Corps: Flag-making and Movement Workshop
Tuesday, September 17, 3–5pm
Blackwood Gallery, 140 Kaneff Centre
ASL VIDEO
Learn more about QUIET PARADE in the ASL video below. Please note: the Call for Proposals mentioned in the video is now closed.
QUIET PARADE
Wednesday, September 18, 1pm
Rain date: September 19
University of Toronto Mississauga campus, 3359 Mississauga Road
Initiated by Aislinn Thomas
Contributing artists: Julian A M.P., Atanas Bozdarov, Trevor Copp, Deaf Spectrum, FlagSSS Day Collective, Birdie Gehrl, Ame Henderson (with Skye and Lleu), HUSH BAND, Sof Kreidstein, Germaine Liu and Mark Zurawinski, Lorena Torres Loaiza, Not Yet Collective, Peter Owusu-Ansah, Leena Raudvee, St Marie φ Walker, Rhonda Weppler & Trevor Mahovsky.
Curated by Ellyn Walker
Commissioned by the Blackwood Gallery
See full accessibility details in our Access Guide.
Free shuttle buses from Keele Station to UTM available.
Artist Floats
Programs
Event Documentation
Previous Documentation
- Lead Artist
- Aislinn Thomas
Commissioned projects include A piece of cloth held taut curated by Crystal Mowry for the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery; As I am and as I become curated by Lauren Schell Dickens for the San José Museum of Art; and A distinct aggregation / A dynamic equivalent / A generous ethic of invention curated by Jacqueline Bell for the Walter Phillips Gallery at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. In 2023 she was longlisted for the Sobey Art Award.
- Contributing Artists
- Julian A M.P.
- Atanas Bozdarov
- Trevor Copp
- Deaf Spectrum
- FlagSSS Day Collective
- Birdie Gerhl
- Ame Henderson
- HUSH BAND
- Sof Kreidstein
- Germaine Liu and Mark Zurawinski
- Lorena Torres Loaiza
- Not Yet Collective
- Peter Owusu-Ansah
- Leena Raudvee
- St Marie φ Walker
- Rhonda Weppler & Trevor Mahovsky
FlagSSS Day arose in response to a particular history, community, and place: The Flag Day parade in Troy, NY was once billed as the largest in the United States, an expression of the patriotic backlash to the protest movement calling for an end to the US war in Vietnam. When that parade ended in 2018, the idea for a FlagSSS Day gathering (with emphasis on a plurality of flagSSS and anti-militarism) emerged and a call was issued for a procession in 2019.
Since 2019, FlagSSS Day processions and rituals have occurred in June and beyond — offering an election day procession (2020) and a ritual for the crows and against displacement of community members. With a 2023 NYSCA grant, they commissioned artists to make flags for their procession hosted a gallery show, and offered multiple public flag-making workshops.
Beyond his artistic endeavors, Peter has critically examined the historical treatment of disabled bodies within the realm of art. Despite being Deaf since childhood, he initially did not identify with the label of deafness. It wasn't until his twenties that he became acutely aware of a world designed predominantly for those who hear and have able bodies—a realization that highlighted his sense of otherness and the challenges of fitting into a society that often privileges hearing individuals. Reflecting on his unique vantage point, Peter shares, "I understood the life in the silence, but for them [able bodies] we always have to use words." His experiences in galleries and museums emphasized the silence of that world, where visual expressions are appreciated without the need for verbal articulation.
For Peter, seeing is an autonomous language, distinct from spoken language, transcending the need for verbal interpretation. He believes that what we see elicits reactions, and reactions are central to all forms of communication. In a world predominantly oriented toward the hearing population, Peter acknowledges the ongoing effort to translate his visual works into verbal expressions, emphasizing the importance of cultivating an experiential understanding of seeing.
Peter's work has garnered recognition and been exhibited at prominent venues, including the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art 2020–21, The Museum in Waterloo/Kitchener, Filtered Ottawa Art Gallery, the Gladstone Hotel, and Tangled Art + Disability, among others. His work is also part of Corporate Collections including Canary Landing, TD Bank, Menkes, and Michael Garron Hospital. His participation in fairs as the Artist Project Toronto and the Toronto Outdoor Fair underscores the breadth and impact of his artistic contributions to the cultural landscape.
In performance, she has been exploring the relation between her drawing practice and her daily performance, as performance art, of the basic acts of mobility. She performed Teetering on an Edge for PillOry in 2019 and her performance-based video, making space, was screened in the Photophobia Festival presented by Hamilton Artists Inc in 2020. Precarious Gestures, her performance as video, was curated by Critical Design Lab for #CripRitual at the Doris McCarthy Gallery in 2022.
In 2023, Raudvee continued this work in Precarious Lines, a multi-faceted residency at the Arcadia Art Gallery, creating the performance and video, Instructions for Interacting with a Chair, and a series of large charcoal drawings in response. Leena Raudvee worked in collaboration with Coman Poon and Brian Smith in 2022 to co-create Wit(h)nessing, an 8-week visual arts research process.
They have displayed a diversity of work in both galleries and outdoor festivals including: Malaspina Printmakers Vancouver, Kunsttempel Germany, SNAP in Edmonton, Hamilton Supercrawl, CAFKA Kitchener, LUMEN Waterloo, University of Waterloo Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Windsor, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Thames Art Gallery, Markham Museum, Latcham Art Centre, Art Mûr, Art Souterrain Montreal and Scotiabank Nuit Blanche Toronto.
St Marie φ Walker both hold an MFA and were individually honoured with a Governor General's Academic Gold Medal from the University of Waterloo. In 2018, Manchester Metropolitan University interviewed them for an international research project looking at various artists working in New Genre Public Art.
- Curator
- Ellyn Walker
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The Blackwood
University of Toronto Mississauga
3359 Mississauga Road
Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6
[email protected]
(905) 828-3789
The galleries are currently open. Hours of operation: Monday–Saturday, 12–5pm, Wednesdays until 8pm.
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The Blackwood is situated on the Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, Seneca, and Huron-Wendat.