General Arts and Culture News

[panamaniac]

They were filming for the tv series "12 Monkeys" a few weeks ago at Hacienda Sarria. I was surprised at the number of people who seemed to be involved and wondered how much economic spin-off there might be from something like that?

[Andy]

There were filming for that last year outside the Walper as well.

[Coke6pk]

There were filming for that last year outside the Walper as well.

And at RoWIA!

Coke

[panamaniac]

I didn't catch the details, but apparently the former Budds store Downtown will host a multi-day arts event next week (?). Does anyone have details?

[Viewfromthe42]

Saw a poster for it at Matter of Taste, but also can't remember the details.

[panamaniac]

Saw a poster for it at Matter of Taste, but also can't remember the details.

Me too!

[nms]

Speaking of filming, there was a film crew at the UW QNC building May 25. The raft of Discount rental cube vans was a bit of a giveaway to anyone passing by.  Though usually quite happy to publicize visitors on campus, the University hasn't mentioned anything formal.

The Record reported:

After all, rumour had it Damon was hanging around the University of Waterloo this week to shoot scenes for a movie called "Downsizing," a sci-fi satire about a diminished dude who'd like to shrink himself to one-eighth size for a smaller, better life.

The article has a humorous spin to it.

[KevinL]

Other shows filming in the area include a long-anticipated adaptation of Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods' - already spotted in Guelph and Hamilton.

Not sure if they will come out this way for any filming, but the new Star Trek series begins filming in the fall and will be based in Toronto.

[Markster]

Not sure if they will come out this way for any filming, but the new Star Trek series begins filming in the fall and will be based in Toronto.

I'm sure Kitchener City Hall will get to be an away mission some time!

[Canard]

I'm sure Kitchener City Hall will get to be an away mission some time!

The brutalist abandoned courthouse on Frederick would be a more apt choice, I do believe.

[panamaniac]

I'm sure Kitchener City Hall will get to be an away mission some time!

The brutalist abandoned courthouse on Frederick would be a more apt choice, I do believe.

Will we ever hear of a plan for this building?  Even the parking garage is sitting unused.

[tomh009]

I think it could work for a hardware-oriented technology company. The courtrooms could make excellent lab spaces for hardware development.

Once the old factories downtown are all accounted for, this one could start looking good. But it's definitely not a conventional office building.

[Canard]

I would personally like to live inside of it. Well, I shouldn't say that, I suppose - I've never seen the interior, but if it's anything like the exterior, it's brutalist heaven.

Arts news: I was walking past the future Victoria Park platform at Charles/Gaukel and thought I heard a train. Then things got weird, then I realized it was an art installation! Someone's put up 4 big LCD screens running some interesting video and speakers on the outside of the building. I looked through the CAFKA (sp?) brochures but didn't see it listed, so I wonder if it's just something done by the students inside.

[eizenstriet]

... it's brutalist heaven.

One thing that was "brutal" about it in its early days was the interior environment. It was downright awful when inside smoking was permitted (this will date me a bit). Particularly in Provincial Court Criminal Division, because there seemed to be a high correlation between being charged with crime and enjoying a smoke (not claiming cause and effect, just correlation). Even after interior smoking was forbidden, it seemed the air supply and ventilation was virtually nil - a very stale place.

No rooms had natural light, apart from the Land Registry Office. Perhaps it was a a subtle architectural statement whereby crime or lack of success in marriage earned you your first "consequences", whereas the "light" shone upon investment in real estate.

Unless retrofitting for these issues was / is done, even a fan of brutalism could pay a sobering price to work in this repurposed heaven.

[GtwoK]

Arts news:  I was walking past the future Victoria Park platform at Charles/Gaukel and thought I heard a train.  Then things got weird, then I realized it was an art installation!  Someone's put up 4 big LCD screens running some interesting video and speakers on the outside of the building.  I looked through the CAFKA (sp?) brochures but didn't see it listed, so I wonder if it's just something done by the students inside.

I saw this the other day. Stood there for a good 15 minutes watching the video, trying to figure out what was going on. Probably watched it for the whole "trip" that the little dot took along the Ion route on the one screen.