Brew Pub #3 – NRATI
In collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) and The Brewtality of Fact homebrew beer club, this salon will feature engagements with and conversations around the journal Brew Pub #3: Relanding from Mugwort.
Gina Badger, Aja Rose Bond, Gabriel Saloman and Eric Emery in attendance.
Note: Due to the nature of the event, only those over the age of 19 are permitted. Those present must be members of The Brewtality of Fact homebrew beer club ($5), and there is a $5 venue/food fee. Please contact thebrewtalityoffact(at)gmail.com for more information.
The STAG Library (artists Aja Rose Bond & Gabriel Saloman, Vancouver) in collaboration with artist and writer Gina Badger (Toronto) and brewmaster Eric Emery will be launching the 3rd edition of Brew Pub, a journal in the form of a beer whose contents, labelling and other printed and online material constitute the contents of the publication.
This edition explores a relationship with Artemisia vulgaris, commonly known as mugwort, an invasive species which has spread from Eurasia across Canada, flourishing in urban spaces that have been altered by human intervention such as abandoned lots, rail-yards and roadsides. Mugwort has deep roots in indigenous European medicine, relieving fatigue, promoting lucid dreams and acting as an abortifacient. Mugwort also has been used in gruit beers as a substitute for hops in traditional brewing processes.
Through the development of a beer using wild-crafted mugwort from the city of Toronto, land with which the Huron, Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe people have a long, historic and profound relationship, these artists consider what and how mugwort can teach those exploring the conflictual complexity of settlement. Mugwort can talk to us about taking root in place, connecting with traditions across distances and back in time, and how to cultivate these teachings in the present, renewing our relationship to place and that which grows here.
This conversation is being presented by the MOCCA as part of the exhibition TBD, curated by Su-Ying Lee. For MOCCA, a contemporary art institution, working with the journal Brew Pub engages with artistic production explicitly at a contrary scale to that which is fostered by the increasing dominance of the global contemporary art world. In opposition to a mode of production demanded by art fairs, biennials and large institutions—one which emphasizes spectacular size, broad publicity, enormous crowds and international scope—Brew Pub is small, discreet, intimate and concertedly local, both in its publicness and in its process of creation.
Brew Pub redefines publication, something that is typically understood to be comprised of a type of book or journal. What elements of a contemporary art institution can similarly be transposed, shifted or reordered to expand the definition of a contemporary art gallery?
About The Brewtality of Fact Homebrew Beer Club:
The purpose of The Brewtality of Fact is the testing, exhibition and judging of the beer made by our members. The beer consumed at our meetings is never sold, but rather shared. In exchange, members commit to offering frank feedback on the quality of the homebrew, including its aroma, taste, appearance and palate.
To Join: Meetings are open to all members of The Brewtality of Fact Beer Club. Memberships cost $5 and are open to anyone 19 years of age and up. The $5 membership and additional $5 per/meeting fee (for food/venue costs) can be purchased online or at MOCCA, will be available for purchase online as of Saturday, 06 September 2014, or can be purchased at the door. For all other inquiries, contact thebrewtalityoffact@gmail.com.
Special thanks to the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) for their ongoing support of this project.
Friday 3 October 2014 –
Non-members: $10
Members: $10
Location:
Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA)
952 Queen Street West
Toronto ON Canada