Night Swim

This is right around the corner from where I live, so I’m definitely going to try to make it out. September 30th, 7pm to 7am, at the Trinity Bellwoods Community Centre swimming pool in Toronto:

NIGHT SWIM is a cross between a sound and light installation, a music festival and a swimming pool party which will be held from sunset till sunrise at the Trinity Bellwoods Community Centre swimming pool in Toronto on Saturday September 30, 2006. Architect and artist Christie Pearson, co-organizer of the highly successful WADE festivals of performance art in Toronto’s public wading pools, has transformed this much loved downtown public swimming pool into a shimmering, reflective dream-space for one night only. Wire contributor Marcus Boon has invited sound artists, musicians and DJs to produce site specific works and sets in a sound environment designed by sound designer Darren Copeland, which will include underwater microphones and speakers. The event is free and open all night – visitors can swim (bring your bathing suit, towels provided!), lounge in the kiddies’ pool, or hang out in the bleachers and around the pool, soaking up the sound and light. 120 people in the pool at a time maximum – first come, first served!

Sounds: Montreal dirty beats by Ghislain Poirier and colossal drone-scapes by Tim Hecker; loops by Beijing-based creators of the Buddha Machine FM3; heavy ambient sounds by Boston-based Keith Fullerton Whitman a.k.a Hravatski; turntablist-composer Marina Rosenfeld and experimental tribal rhythmist Raz Mesinai from New York; from Toronto, electronic composer and improvisor Sarah Peebles, Sandro Perri/Polmo Polpo’s indie funk, sexy nocturnal grooves with Luis Jacob, baile funk, grime and dancehall from Geoff Snack, a.k.a. DJ Showcase Showdown, and ecstatic sustained tones by Orixasound.

TorGame’s Waking City

TorGame’s Waking City project is about to kick off, and looks to be a pretty thorough ARG effort set in the Big Smoke:

Waking City is a game unlike any other game you’ve ever played. Its setting is your everyday life. It takes place over phone calls, e-mails and letters — but more than anything, it takes place on the streets of Toronto. For two weeks in September, teams of 4-7 players will pound the pavement, solving fiendish puzzles, uncovering Toronto’s secret history, and interacting with the agents of a vast and ancient conspiracy. They’ll feel the tug of mystery, the fun of exploration, and thrill of being part of a dynamically unfolding plot. Watch the trailer! (TorGame)

Panthea at BlogTO has a good interview with TorGame founder David Fono. Here’s a snip:

What was the overall driving vision behind Waking City?
Our overall vision is to encourage exploration of public spaces, and to help build community through fostering a better understanding of the city. And to do that in a very fun way. From a game design perspective, we’re very focused on finding ways to convey a narrative that seamlessly blends into “real life.”

What do you think players will get out of the experience?
1) A better sense of the city, from having explored it.
2) The feeling that they’re the protagonists in an exciting story.
3) A lot of unforgettable memories.

Will there be interaction between the teams?
Not so much at first. But as the game progresses, teams will be brought together more and more. Part of our driving vision is the idea of fostering community, and that’s very much a part of the way the game will play out. (BlogTO)

There’s been a lot of coverage about this in the past month or so, and according to TorGame’s website, registration is now closed thanks to a healthy public response. I wasn’t planning on being in Toronto for the game, but now that it looks like I might be there after all… (registered teams in search of a member can email me at remotedevice at gmail dot com)

List of free wireless hotspots in Toronto

While all of us in T.O. are eagerly waiting for the free wi-fi in the downtown core promised by Toronto Hydro Telecom, we can still get online for nothing at a variety of hotspots that have been set up around the city by a non-profit group called Wireless Toronto. You can find their regularly-updated list here. They also have a nifty map.