By: Natalie Clark
When the quaint and beloved Westdale Theatre closed down in early 2017, residents of the Westdale community and many McMaster students were especially upset. Although fairly run down, the Westdale had been the community’s hot spot for Friday night dates, Hollywood’s must-see films and the best popcorn in town for as long as anyone could remember.
On Feb. 14, the Westdale community celebrated the long-awaited re-opening of the Westdale Theatre. Guests were told to dress in period attire for a special event accompanied by cocktails and a screening of the 1942 classic, Casablanca. The event also featured a silent auction, where guests could explore the new and improved venue while admiring local Hamilton art.
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With searchlights lighting up the night sky and a red carpet gracing the floor of the doors of the theatre, the Westdale certainly dressed to impress for their grand re-opening. The 350 ticket event sold out in two weeks.
For the past 30 years, the Westdale was owned by an elderly man in Toronto. It wasn’t until he passed away that his family put the theatre up for sale, allowing new owners to claim the theatre, known as the Westdale Cinema Group.
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“An enormous amount of changes were made… the theatre was in terrible condition, we spent 2.5 million dollars restoring it,” mentioned Fred Fuchs, chairperson of the Westdale Cinema Group.
“Besides equipping it with state-of-the-art projection, screens, new seats, new sound, new acoustic panelling, we also had to completely redo the air conditioning and the heating, the electrical system, the roof, the bathrooms — it was a complete overhaul of the entire theatre,” said Fuchs.
About two years later, the Westdale Theatre is back open for business, and the community is thrilled. Westdale resident and Silhouette alumnus, David Simpson, had one word to describe the re-opening event, “fabulous”.
“I think that the re-opening will be great for Westdale and for McMaster too, creating a hub for the community,” said Simpson.
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Members of the Westdale community are thrilled about the re-opening of the theatre but are also admiring the other advantages that the theatre welcomes to the community.
“It’s wonderful to see it revitalized, and to see hundreds of people in the theatre is great,” said Vivian Lewis, a member of the Westdale community.
“I think that the theatre is going to bring a diversity of films to the community,” mentioned Lewis. “Right now in Hamilton we just have lots of box theatres that are showing the same thing on every screen, and so this theatre will be our chance to see more art films and more alternative films that aren’t currently available in Hamilton.”
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Aside from standard film movies, the Westdale Theatre will also be hosting frequent live music shows, talks, performances and other special events.
“I’m excited about the idea that it’s not just a movie theatre anymore and that it’s also performance based,” said Sue Trerise-Adamson, another Westdale resident.
“I think that is a really good idea, and it expands all the possibilities of the theatre… I think it’s a real anchor for the whole community of Westdale,” mentioned Trerise-Adamson.
Westdale locals have already begun visiting the theatre for their regular screenings and are grateful to have the theatre back in the community.
Experience the new and improved Westdale Theatre on your own and check out all available screenings and shows on their website: https://www.thewestdale.ca/now-playing/
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Imagine you are in an art gallery but all the lights are turned off. You are immersed in lights and sound, absorbing different aspects of the audio-visual gallery. That is the best way to describe Atmospheric Studies II: Singularity.
The one-hour light and sound show is the second in the Atmospheric Studies series that began last March. This year more shows are lined up, with two to three shows a day from Jan. 17 to Jan. 21. On Jan. 17 and Jan. 18, the shows will be held at New Vision United Church while the Jan. 19 to Jan. 21 shows will be held at the Main Event Space of the Cotton Factory.
Sheridan College alumni Matt Cummer, Nick Grimshaw and Bea Macapagal, alongside their respective companies, Black Lake, Walker/Grimshaw and Camp 905, are the architects of the installation.
Cummer, who works in stage visuals, and Grimshaw, a composer, collaborated to create the project last year. After attending last year’s show, Macapagal reached out to the duo and became involved in this year’s logistics and visual planning.
Cummer took inspiration from the Day for Night Festival in Houston, TX. The festival, which takes place in an old industrial postal sorting facility, has digital installations spread throughout the space that participants can check out. Cummer was also inspired by the work he does in stage visuals.
“[W]henever you go to see a concert you have all these huge lighting fixtures on stage and that’s the context you see it in and it's just complimenting the band but… I always had an interest in taking that out of context and using it in a totally different way and then… marrying it with audio and making it kind of more come to life as its own thing rather than just complimenting something else,” explained Cummer.
From this desire to make lights and sound come to life comes the name Atmospheric Studies. The project is creating its own contained atmosphere for attendees throughout the duration of the one-hour show.
The other part of the name, Singularity, refers to a black hole, a feature of the storyline being woven throughout the show. The lights will be arranged in a circular fashion and take attendees through the creation of fusion that goes out of control and creates a black hole.
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This abstract plotline is a departure from last year’s project which was a more straightforward display. Introducing a story to the show is one of the ways in which Atmospheric Studies has grown from last year, in addition to introducing a new venue in the New Vision United Church and putting on more shows. The best aspects of the first installation will be preserved, such as the live responsiveness of the light to the music.
“One aspect of the show is that we take every little audio cue live that [Grimshaw is] playing and we input it into the visual system... [which] drives lights to do things right at that moment as well …[W]e try to make it very organic and feel like this is more special…[T]his isn't something you're ever going to experience again which is a once in a lifetime sort of thing,” explained Cummer.
Putting on the installation has been a learning experience for Cummer. As a film school graduate, he didn’t have experience in production design, lighting design or lighting operation. However, he has put his skills from his film background into good use for the design of this project. Last year’s project brought on some stress and hiccups but it was met with a positive response which ultimately led to the led to the continuation of the Atmospheric Studies.
If all goes well with this series of shows, Cummer would love to have a third part of the series. He would also love to expand the concept to be more music-oriented, perhaps with musical acts. No matter what the future holds, this installation is sure to take attendees into another world.
Atmospheric Studies II: Singularity will take place from Jan. 17 to Jan. 21 and tickets can be purchased on eventbrite for $10 or at the door for $15.
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By: Adrian Valentine
One thing can be said for certain, Lights sings her heart out on her latest full-length release. Little Machines is typical of her style in that she relies on synthetic beats and techno sounds to create a moderately upbeat album that echoes a lot of familiar pop. The Torontonian songstress has stopped trying to be different and has instead adopted an amalgamation of popular electronic pop.
The first song on the album, “Portal,” introduces a new element to Lights with a very soft, steady lyrical rhythm over a synthetic drone. “Portal” comes in contrast to the beat-driven lyrics of the rest the album, as in “Up We Go” and “Running with the Boys,” both of which flaunt a happy harmony that provokes you to dance instead of think. But following those two tracks, the album drops in tempo and ends with a solemn electronic acoustic piece.
The album does provide an enjoyable background listen for study, and I can even see “Up We Go” playing in clubs over a remix sometime soon. It would also make for a great road trip soundtrack if you're feeling a bit more introspective, with songs like “From All Sides,” “Don’t Go Home Without Me” and “The Same Sea” bringing the melody back down.
Lights appeals to the public by relying on musical norms and not trying to break the mold very much. She leans on techno-beats and uses her powerful voice and lyrics to save the instrumentals, which, on their own, are kind of boring.
Little Machines is an apt listen for anyone looking to chill out with the upbeat songs not present enough to give the album a dance vibe. It’s a well-put together album but it won’t leave you in awe.
Jemma Wolfe,
Senior ANDY Editor
The spindly star with the iconic side-swept hair – Lights – crooned her way to the hearts of those in attendance at campus bar TwelvEighty last Saturday, Nov. 26. After an energetic opening set by Toronto-based dance-rock band Nightbox, Lights took to the stage amidst frenzied chanting of her name.
TwelvEighty was largely filled by dedicated student fans, who welcomed every song with shouts and screams. She played an hour-long, 15-plus song set, dropping hits like “Toes” and “Second Go,” her tiny frame rocking on stage. Backed by a three-piece band who took care of the keyboard, drums, guitar and synths in rotation, Lights happily frolicked through her second studio album, Siberia.
In an interview prior to the show, Lights opened up about her new album and the directions she went with it. “It’s a totally new place than I was in with the first record,” she said, citing the dubstep influence and guest collaborators Shad and Holy Fuck as being largely responsible for that.
She said she was first intrigued with dubstep because of a concert she went to in Montreal, and knew then that she had to work with it. “One of the biggest attractions was the hardness of it, that it was hard. The bass sound and multi-layers and distortion I found was such a cool contrast to the softness of my vocals and the softness of melodies,” she explained.
Holy Fuck were also hugely part of the creation of the album. “We just jammed and the songs came out of that; it was really natural and organic. Everything just started to come together and it felt great … It was like, ‘let’s just be creative,’ and it was fun and that’s what came out on the record.”
Shad’s contribution was slightly more complex. With him in Vancouver and Lights based in Toronto, the entire collaboration for “Flux and Flow” was done by email. Inevitably, this presented some difficulties, but Shad “just killed it so much [on ‘Flux and Flow’] that we had him on ‘Everybody Breaks a Glass’ as well,” Lights said.
Of the email process, Lights elaborated, “I think collaborations can be done that way if it’s a feature spot. When it comes down to writing together in a cohesive way, I think you need to be in the same room. But with something already there and you’re adding a flavor to it, that can be done over email.” The resulting album is a solid, cohesive collaborative work.
Although her concert at TwelvEighty was marketed as the “Christmas Lights” show, ironically, Lights and her family don’t actually celebrate Christmas. “We used to,” she said, “but we stopped when I was about eleven.” Lights explained, “It’s not because we have anything against it, we just stopped doing it and it makes that time of year so much easier. It really [takes the pressure off] and makes it about visiting family. We don’t feel the need to buy each other presents or set up a tree or anything like that.”
The holiday instead involves snowboarding at Whistler when she’s in British Columbia, skating at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto when she’s in Ontario, and generally enjoying the time off. “I go home and visit my family in Vancouver. We get together and have dinner and just hang out. The thing I look forward to most is just being with the people I love,” she said with a smile.
Now that her Siberia tour is over for the year, she can do just that.
