The four-day Without Walls Festival kicked off Thursday, Oct. 3 with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Thursday Night Thing, which was held outdoors at the University of California, San Diego campus.
MCASD brought the works by artist Kim Garcia and the Magpie Collective for the event. Its hands-on works encouraged festival attendees to participate in the creating process of art.
Garcia had the FLUX[R]US project “Take-Out Gallery” set up for the event. Participants were invited to create their own works with the tools and supplies provided, ranging from various fabrics, glue guns, plastic balls and more. When finished, participants were able to keep their work, hang it as an installation in the set up pop-up booth or exchange it for any work already displayed. The project seemed like a small-scale rendition of a gallery experience, contributing and exchanging with fellow artists for the evening.
The Magpie Collective also had participants crafting their own art in “After Flight.” The collective’s work involved creating a bird-shaped construction out of paper. From creating the folds and holes on the paper, folding the sides and stapling it all together, the entire construction process was in the participant’s hands. The Magpie Collective set up a wall to hang the birds. Participants could also take the construction home and start on another once they were done.
Both of the works offered a sense of community with participants joining others in creating art, no matter how simple the result. While I was crafting my own work for the pop-up gallery in the “Take-Out Gallery,” participants enthusiastically pitched ideas to others on the products they could make. Many gave silly ideas resulting in laughs. It was a great icebreaker while participating in the project.
The night could have used more attendees to liven up the spirit of the event, but it was only the opening night for the Without Walls Festival. There were also many other works to be seen that night, including the “100% San Diego” performance and the play “”Platanov, or the Disinherited.” The Thursday Night Thing event opened the festival on a fun, interactive note. It’s safe to say, the four-day event had a good start.
Information about Thursday Night Thing can be found at lajollaplayhouse.org/wowfestival/
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Photo Credit: TNT (Thursday Night Thing) at MCASD Downtown.
