Crowds cheered as numerous artists performed on stage under colourful lights and explored the topic of regrowth at Kosmic, a Carleton University architecture student art show.
Held in the architecture building on Feb. 9, Kosmic included a wide variety of art, including sculptures, mixed media and music exploring the theme of “decay and rebirth.”
This year’s event was different from previous years because, according to event co-organizer Noah Perkins, it was the first time in 17 years that Kosmic was held on Carleton’s campus
Previous iterations of Kosmic garnered bad reputations for partying and large crowds, resulting in the art event moving off campus to locations like Barrymore’s and Makerspace North. This year, Perkins said the event was more focused on being a celebration of design, rather than a party.
Perkins added this change from previous years was one of the reasons they chose the theme “Cycles in Time: Decay and Rebirth.”
“It’s a perfect opportunity for this year to show this recycling of this event that we once had at our home, and seeing it regrow into something new,” Perkins said.
He said the theme also focused on recycling materials and creating more permanent artworks.
Most installations followed an environmentalist theme with an emphasis on climate change. The suggested dress code was “‘organic,”’ with many attendees wearing their own earthy attire.
“We wanted to influence people to think critically about the re-usage of materiality within their exhibits and see how they can live on past this point of just this one night,” Perkins said.
Bergeron has been a musician since Grade 4, when she started learning guitar, alto saxophone and piano. They have DJed for four months with their passion initially sparked by making elaborate playlists.
Bergeron began VJing in January in preparation for Kosmic. She said her architectural background gave her the confidence to learn how to VJ in such a short time frame.
“I’m an architecture student. I’m crazy. So I know that I’m going to be able to do it even if I don’t have that much experience. I’m like, no problem. I’ll do it. I’ll learn everything about it,” they said.
Perkins also had performed a DJ set at Kosmic under the stage name Geunf.
He said music and architecture have more in common than people might think.
“The design language and iterative processes of both are kind of married together,” he said.
Perkins said many of the art pieces at Kosmic combined visual art and sound, such as Bergeron’s VJ set. As an architect and artist, he said he is fascinated by the way spaces can be shaped or changed by sound.
Kosmic attendee and fourth-year architecture student Martha Woolfrey described the event as a terrific display of Carleton students’ capabilities.
“Kosmic really shows how the architecture program is very hands-on, immersive and collaborative,” Woolfrey said.
Installations varied in size and messaging. Some were interactive, allowing attendees to touch and feel the displays.
While the installations attracted the most attention, Kosmic also brought architecture students together to socialize and celebrate their achievements.
For fourth-year architecture student and attendee Terissa Chalmers, Kosmic was truly about the social experience.
“The music is really great and seeing everyone mingling around and interacting with the exhibits is really interesting,” Chalmers said.
Despite this year’s success, it has not always been smooth sailing for Kosmic.
According to event co-organizer Cam Gordon, Kosmic began at Carleton in the 80s and attracted a lot of negative attention.
In the early 2000s, Kosmic moved away from Carleton’s campus as security became a concern. Leading up to this year’s event, Gordon said safety was a major focus for the organizers.
“We just want everyone to come together again and re-inhabit the school because we’ve spent so much time outside of it,” Gordon said. “We want to run something that is fun but safe so that next year it won’t be the question of if it will happen, but how it will happen.”
Carleton special constables were on site to ensure the safety of Kosmic attendees. Ticket sales were also capped at 245 tickets to ensure the space was not overcrowded.
Organizers said having Kosmic on campus increased participation, as it was easier for participants to build their installations in a space they are familiar with.
Perkins said he hopes Kosmic gives people an opportunity to explore their artwork outside of the parameters of school assignments and brings people together to explore art on a personal level.
“We just hope that people are coming into the space, seeing that it’s a delicate space right now, seeing all these exhibits, and exploring them, and seeing them as their own and analyzing them and appreciating them.”
Featured image by Michael McBean/the Charlatan.
