Media

OTTAWA, September 8, 2010  —  Lucent Dossier Experience, Mother Mother and Antoine Gratton headline unprecedented Ottawa art-jamboree.

On Thursday, September 9th, Luminata, a celebration of the visual, musical and performing arts, will wow over 1,000 University of Ottawa students and community members with a wide range of award-winning talent. Hosted by the Graduate Students’ Association (GSAÉD), the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) and the Student Association of the Faculty of Arts (SAFA), Luminata promises something for everyone.

The show will bring together a wide range of artists, from the Juno Award-winning multi-instrumentalist Antoine Gratton to surreal circus performers the Lucent Dossier Experience. Acclaimed West Coast indie group Mother Mother will round things out, as students explore the area around the intersection of Cumberland and University, which will be closed to make room for this multi-stage event.

By creating such a diverse bill, organizer Guillaume Lemieux hopes to inspire “jamborees of art—new new kinds of activities that aren’t just about one art form, but gather different media forms together in the community.” Such events are lacking in the Ottawa arts scene, and Lemieux, influenced by a visit to Coachella, the world-renowned California music and arts festival, hopes Luminata will provide the impetus for more such events in Ottawa.

Extravagant displays, such as arcs of balloons illuminated by LED lights, a giant piñata and a live artwork installation by Ottawa-based graffiti collective House of Paint, will provide ample visual appeal as students and community members take in what will be offered onstage. “We’re really hoping to create through Luminata an art-meets-pleasure atmosphere,” says Jaimie Howard, who is organizing the event with Lemieux. “This isn’t something that has really ever been done before on any Canadian campus.”

Luminata will take place at the corner of Cumberland and University on Thursday, September 9th. Gates open at 6 p.m. and admission is free. The GSAÉD and the SFUO represent close to 40,000 U of O students.