The Candahar

Friday, February 12, 2010 - 12:00pm - Sunday, February 28, 2010 - 1:00am
Venue: 
Playwrights Theatre Centre

Irish artist Theo Sims’ The Candahar Bar is a detailed recreation of an Irish public house, based on the interior of the now defunct Blackthorn Bar in Belfast. Part sculpture, part theatrical stage, The Candahar is an artwork that is also a functioning bar, open to the public and staffed in collaboration with two Belfast bartenders who act as unscripted performers. The project fuses the authentic with fantasy, spectacle with stage, and at its heart acts as a catalyst for conversation, debate and dialogue — and a pint here or there.

During the sixteen days of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Presentation House Gallery is staging The Candahar as a locus for social interaction and the host site for an ambitious series of nightly events — musical programs, theatrical presentations, performances and dialogues, both scripted and unscripted. Programmed by author Michael Turner, as well as by invited guests, including Winnipeg artist Paul Butler, The Candahar will feature an extensive and diverse series of events by local and international visual artists, musicians, writers and more.

Highlights include an opening intervention and inquiry into the pub itself by Vancouver based artist Rebecca Belmore (Feb 12), presentations by authors Timothy Taylor (Feb 22) and Lee Henderson (Feb 15) musical performances by The Rodney Graham band (Feb 26), Tom Anselmi’s Hello World, (Feb 20), Lisa Marr (Feb 14) and Kevin Schmidt (Feb 27), talks by Nicolaus Schafhausen (Feb 13) and Skeen Reece (Feb 19) a performance by Althea Thauberger (Feb 21) as well as video screenings of Olympic interviews by Nardwuar the Human Serviette (Feb 16 and 23). Evenings are capped by guest DJ’s including Vancouver artists Stan Douglas, Adrian Buitenhaus, Stephen Murray and Tim Lee as well as an Olympic “wrap up” salon with talks by Jeff Derksen, Peter Dickenson, Clint Burnham and Ken Lum among many others. For precise program details and regular updates visit www.presentationhousegall.com beginning February 1.

12:00pm - 1:00am

Admission: $5.00 at the door, $10 after 7pm