White Carpet

A scented memory of my mother vacuuming our wall-to-wall carpet; the warm aroma of exhaust, fiber and all that soaked in, fell through, settled, then lifted. White Carpet is a 400-square-foot stage in the shape of a soft island, or a drawing pad, or a resting place — a long exposure. Momentary flashes pile up over the course of the exhibition. A boy drives model cars through the dunes. Dogs roll over for belly rubs by shaky hands. Unconscious Cheezies-stains made in repose. The small dance of restless feet during a meeting.

Gallery visitors are invited to enjoy the carpet outside of the scheduled events in any way they see fit: lie down, take a break, draw shapes, eat lunch. They can look for traces of past events in the leftover tracks, stains, and shadings—and are welcome to add their own.

Free Breakfast Buffet
A free breakfast provided by The Wellness Kitchen featuring soft-foods. The Wellness Kitchen is a safe space for our ECUAD students to come together to cook, bake, eat, and gather around food.
Libby Leshgold Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Tuesday, April 11, 10–12 PM

Free Cheezies + Movie Night: Gregg Araki’s Nowhere (1997)
A free screening of Gregg Araki’s Nowhere (1997) with platters of Hawkins Cheezies. The third part of Araki’s “Teen Apocalypse Trilogy,” this hyper-saturated cult-classic follows a group of teenagers (Dark, Lucifer, Dingbat, Montogmery, Egg) in search of Juicyfruit’s party. Content Warning: Alien Abduction. BYOD.
Libby Leshgold Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Tuesday, April 11, 6–8 PM

Garage Sale
Items for sale from the Libby Leshgold Gallery.
Libby Leshgold Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Thursday, April 13, 12–5 PM

Performance Art Studio with prOphecy Sun
Final presentations and carpet exploration by students in prOphecy Sun’s Performance Art Studio (PERF 200).
Libby Leshgold Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Friday, April 14, 11:30 AM–12:30 PM

Garage Sale
Items for sale from Libby Leshgold Gallery.
Libby Leshgold Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Saturday, April 15, 12–5 PM

Curtain Speech [Closed Rehearsal]
Sunday, April 16, 11 AM–4 PM

A closed rehearsal w/ Ryan Tacata, Justine A. Chambers, Billy Marchenski, and James Proudfoot.

James Long Wrestles His Kids
Monday, April 17, 7–8 PM

Siminovitch Prize award winning Canadian theatre director James Long (Theatre Replacement) wrestles his kids.

Boy Car
Tuesday, April 18, 11 AM–4 PM

A male model (Allan Gachi) drives tracks into the carpet with a model car.

Therapy Dog: Zoey
Join Bettina and Zoey, a therapy dog, for an afternoon of petting, play, and relaxation.
Libby Leshgold Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Thursday, April 20, 12–1 PM

A Friend Date
Ryan Tacata hosts a surprise date for his friend Hannah Acton (Lobe Studio) inspired by Jessica Seal of the Vancouver Aquarium.
Libby Leshgold Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Tuesday, April 20, 2–5 PM

Therapy Dog: Frankie
Join Sherman and Frankie, a therapy dog, for an afternoon of petting, play, and relaxation.
Libby Leshgold Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Friday, April 21, 12–1 PM

Curtain Speech
A one-hour live performance of forewarnings cast by Ryan Tacata, Justine A. Chambers, and Billy Marchenski.
Libby Leshgold Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Friday, April 21, 6–7 PM

Carpet Cleaning
A one-hour live carpet cleaning with a Kent cleaner rented from Home Depot.
Libby Leshgold Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Sunday, April 23, 12–1 PM

Ryan Tacata is a performance maker and writer based in Vancouver. His collaborative art practice is situated between live art and social practice, and plays critical intimacy in the key of everyday life. His work has been presented at the Asian Art Museum, Stanford University, the City of Chicago, Court Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Museum of Performance + Design, and The Momentary. He is co-artistic director of the performance group For You, and Assistant Professor of Performance at the School for the Contemporary Arts, Simon Fraser University.