Improvising Communities: A Retrospective Exhibition marks the celebration of a significant milestone in the emerging field of Critical Studies in Improvisation.
The founding of the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation (IICSI) at the University in Guelph was facilitated by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant, awarded in 2012. The Partnership Grant set in motion a decade of robust research and creative outputs generated by a team of scholars, researchers, community partners, and arts practitioners on a local, national, and international scale.
This exhibition illustrates the formalization of improvisation as a field of academic inquiry over the ten+ year period of the SSHRC Partnership Grant in which the institute was named (2012 to 2022) and narrates how IICSI has evolved into a central source for the collection and dissemination of research on the social implications of improvisational practices.
The opening reception will be divided into two parts: a special premiere of IICSI's video game The Hand You are Dealt: Improvising the Archive and talk back with Studio Oleomingus creators Dhruv Jani and Sushant Chakraborty, and an exclusive screening of the documentary Cape Spear Klang (2021) and talk back with Directors Ellen Waterman and Diego Pani. Visitors will have time to explore the exhibition and the items on display, including videos, artworks, sculptures, performances, and more.
Light refreshments will be provided. Massey Hall is a physically accessible venue.
