FLEET: Granville Island Open house with Kay Slater

October 25th, 2024 | 4-9 PM (4-5:30 PM Mask-on gathering times, 5:30-9 PM Masks not required/requested)

FLEET: Granville Island (1425 Anderson St) in the former village of Sen̓áḵw (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh or Squamish Language), or sən̓aʔqʷ (hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ or Musqueam language).

A lightly programmed evening at the FLEET mobile artist studios on Granville Island. When the patio is not engaged in performance and presentations, visitors are welcome to tour the trailer at their own pace. An interactive video game is available throughout the evening for visitors to try on their devices (using free wifi on the island), and a small print series will be available for sale by donation. See program and access notes below.

Mask-on Gathering Times:

4-5:30 PM: Anyone attending the open house during this time will be asked to wear a mask to respect and prioritize immunocompromised visitors or prefer masks for their safety and wellness. Masked visitors can move through the trailer whenever and however they need.

5-5:30 PM: Artist “talk” and silence concert (on the patio) – masks requested. Plaza chairs will be available for seating outside the patio.

General Program (Masks** not required/requested, but welcome)

**Note: Host/Kay will not be wearing masks during the general program time to allow for lip reading and ASL grammar.

5:50-6:10 PM – Sunset watch party in silence (on the patio). Sun sets at 6:05 PM.

A sunset watch party while gathering in silence in the Chain and Forge plaza (although visitors are welcome to move through the trailer whenever the back patio is not being engaged). Visitors are invited to gather in the plaza and watch the sunset from under the bridge. Visitors are encouraged not to talk with each other and be in the presence of the setting sun. Earplugs will be made available. Non mask-wearing visitors can distance themselves from mask-wearing visitors across the plaza.

6:15-6:45 PM – Artist “talk” and silence concert (on the patio)

Kay will share some thoughts about radical silence and the creative access work they have done while in residence at FLEET. The talk will be presented using a projector, text-to-speech technology, and signing. Questions can be asked using text, written or digital, gestures and signs, or can be posed by speaking and will be answered as Kay understands them through lip reading. A very short concert/performance will mark the end of these talks. This talk will take place twice - once during mask gathering time in the late afternoon light at 5 PM, and then again, the same talk will take place just after sunset at 6:15 PM, with visitors not required to wear masks.

Shadow Show - “Discovery Passage” (on the patio) – Two showtimes: 7-7:20 PM and 8:30-8:30 PM

The premiere performance of Discovery Passage, the concise shadow puppet show created during the October residency, performed through the back patio doors of the FLEET trailer. Visuals will be described through narration on the patio so it can be experienced by low-vision or non-visual visitors. 2 showtimes to allow for different schedules/same story.

Access note: These shows fall outside of the mask-on gathering times due to the need for low light/sunset. Kay will also film the performance and describe the version online by the end of the residency. Kay is also available during the final week of the residency for on-demand evening performances of the show for any folks who need distancing or mask-on attendance.

9 PM – Event ends. Community Centre Washrooms close at 9:30 PM.

Throughout the evening:

The Haunted Island, Interactive Game: A text-based video game encouraging players to walk the island and build sensory descriptions of different locations. Wifi is needed to access the game initially, but it can be downloaded using #VanWifi on mobile devices – available near the Granville Island Market. It is designed to be played by anyone, regardless of sensory access needs, but Kay welcomes feedback if players experience barriers.

Radical silence prints: A short-run series of prints created during Kay’s October residency will be available by donation.

RFID/QR Self-Guided Tours: Inside the trailer, if physical access is possible, the trailer will be marked by RFID tags and QR codes so that visitors can get more information on the work done inside the trailer. For those unable to access the trailer due to the stairs (no railing/no ramp), a small-scale model will be available with RFID tags throughout to provide an adjacent tour experience.

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Image (above): photo of the FLEET studio at Granville Island location. Photo: Jay Pahre.