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Artists have a lot to process these days: frustration at the muse, disappointments about lack of funding, despair at the human condition. Video Pool Media Arts Centre is giving them an outlet to process those feelings this weekend – an outlet that is perhaps more cathartic and instantly gratifying than any brushstroke, edit or note.
Video Pool’s second annual Smasher’s Bash will see artists and their supporters gather in the alley between King Street and Arthur Street (known as the “Drayway”) to smash a wide variety of objects against the stone wall. According to Video Pool’s director Emma Hendrix, the idea came from a board meeting where ideas were (appropriately) being thrown around.
“It just felt like this is really a VP kind of idea,” she said in an interview on Morning Light.
The first year of the Smasher’s Bash took place inside Video Pool’s studios in the Exchange District. Renovations to the space were well underway, and that made it the perfect stage for smashing and bashing. “We had a really great turnout,” Hendrix recalls. “In some of the photos, you can tell just looking at the audience... you can figure out which pieces were being smashed at that time because there were some really iconic moments.”
Folks looking to participate in this year’s Smasher’s Bash can do so in two different tiers: the "Rage Cage" ticket, which guarantees participants a chance to smash a wide variety of items from plates and cups to cakes and garden gnomes, and the "Voyeur" option, which allows people to view the destruction from a safe distance.
Hendrix notes that the money raised from ticket sales will help to support Video Pool’s ongoing programming, which ranges from gallery shows to media workshops to artist talks. “Part of what we’re trying to do is do some renovations in our venue,” she says. “Our venue is something that’s available to anybody in Winnipeg. You can come and rent it or use it, members do shows there and things like that.”
The second annual Smasher’s Bash takes place on August 23 at 7 p.m. with the actual smashing beginning at 8 p.m. This will be followed by karaoke with a bar featuring alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Space is very limited, so patrons are encouraged to visit Video Pool’s website to reserve their spot.