HOTBOX, a fundraiser put on by SAW Video media arts centre, returned to its roots Aug. 29.
Now on its third year, HOTBOX was one of the first events in Ottawa to host a “multi-disciplinary party,” Rolf Klausener, communications co-ordinator at SAW video, said.
“The original HOTBOX was a surprise success. In the last few years, there’s been a huge upsurge in multi-disciplinary parties—with chefs cooking and live bands and DJs. It’s wild to see how many well-curated events are out there,” he said.
But Klausener said there was an issue with the first party. People who attended didn’t really get a feel for what the fundraiser was for.
“There were like 600 people at the first HOTBOX. We didn’t expect it at all. It was one of the most successful fundraisers Arts Court has seen in a while—maybe ever,” he said. “So that set the bar really high, but there wasn’t much of a video component, so people walked away not really knowing what the centre was all about.”
SAW Video aimed to change that this year. Using old video stations as inspiration, they planned a Much Music-inspired dance party.
“The video dance party was amazing to see, with the costume videos live-mixed in the courtyard,” he said. “Imagine watching video music stations back in the day, but rather than in the living room, you’re in a big beautiful courtyard with a bunch of friends.”
There were also video installation pieces by various artists.
Tim Smith showed his piece, “Mapping Cinematic Space: (Re)presentation of Hitchcock’s Rear Window,” where he used still photographs and video together to create an eight-minute scene of a courtyard.
He used the scene to play with the idea of cinema being a passive experience.
“Theorists say we’re disembodied in the traditional cinematic experience . . . our eyes are transported into this camera which then sees for us, and mapping it spatially like I did, I felt I brought it back to an embodied way of looking,” he said. “Because if I imagined it, I was looking at that courtyard, when we look left, we see the left of the courtyard and when we look right, we see the right of the courtyard . . . So the camera sort of transports us around.”
Smith has been working with SAW video for the past two years, since moving back to Ottawa.
He said he appreciates the sense of community the gallery has given him.
“It’s important to have a gallery to provide a community. To have a place where every artist can meet and talk,” he said. “And it’s nice to have a place that can potentially show your work. That motivates you to work, rather than doing it for a redundant reason. And for encouragement.”
And while Klausener said the party did fairly well in terms of fundraising, he said that never ends up being the focus of the party.
“HOTBOX is just a really nice summer celebration which gives us an opportunity to invite the arts community down to have a stress-free relaxing time with us.”
