The IMA’s first ever orientation event, held at the newly renamed IMA Gallery, was exactly what you’d expect. There were boys in bowties, girls with glasses, and some sort of performance art piece that involved someone yelling “I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING!”
The purpose of the night was to show of the works of art – which ranged from performance art to film to collage – created by first-year students at the image arts orientation the day before. Each work reflected a quote by artist Laszlo Moholy-Nagy regarding the power and potential of the camera.
Those of you who weren’t there missed out, but luckily I’m here to give you the recap. Keep your ears to the ground for details about their other events. I hear there might be karaoke. How creative!
The Good:
- The refreshments: Okay, so the cheese and crackers were tame and there wasn’t a champagne flute in sight, but there was dark chocolate. Lots of it. My inner glamazon was very pleased indeed.
- The guests: Never have I seen a chicer crowd at a Ryerson event. A definite standout was third-year photography student and event coordinator Christian Lacroix, who lived up to his chic namesake with a sleek black shirt-and-pant combo, paired with a bold but not ostentatious bow tie. Chuck Bass incarnate.
- The art: I might not have “understood” all of the pieces, but I have to respect the effort and creativity behind them.
The Bad:
- The lack of actual first-year students: According to the event’s organizers, almost 100 students were involved in creating the pieces exhibited, so you can imagine my surprise at the handful of students in attendance that were actually in first-year. I won’t hold it against them though. Those bourgeoning artists were probably off creating and imagining and whatnot.
- The heat: Something was making me sweat, and it wasn’t the provocativeness of the art. The gallery’s cooling system was limited to a couple of inconveniently placed fans, which made it extremely hard to focus on what you were looking at, especially when everyone got together to listen to a couple of speeches at the end.
Soundbites:
- “I’m really jealous that I didn’t get to do this in first-year.” – Carly Chalmers, third-year new media student
- “Every program is here because of the camera. Film progressed from photo, and new media progressed from photo.” – Christopher Lacroix, third-year photography student
- “Opinions were flying from all different angles.” Rebecca Love, first-year film student, on the creative process behind the pieces
Allyssia Alleyne is the Eyeopener’s foxy, intelligent Communities Editor. Find her on Twitter @AllyssiaAlleyne or @TheEyeopener if you want your event covered or want to chat about your Ryerson community.
Seriously, do it.
Photo by Chelsea Pottage
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