A Public Conversation on Diverse Media Exhibition & Open Screening

Saturday, July 5, Free
5 PM: Public Conversation
6:30 PM: BBQ
7 – 8 PM Open Screening Sign-in
8 PM: Open Screening
@ CineCycle, 129 Spadina Avenue

Part of Summer 2014


We have recently been involved in discussions around a certain aspect of Pleasure Dome’s mission statement preamble, a piece of text which was added to our mission statement in 1993 in order to address the changing format landscapes of media art at the time. Now, 20 years later, perhaps the time has come to re-address this issue, in light of continuing changes to media art technology and practices. The preamble currently reads: Preamble #6. Pleasure Dome seeks to exhibit a balance of work from both the film and video mediums and as such, will show video up to a limit of fifty percent of our total screen time and financial resources devoted to exhibition, in each season.

As such, on Saturday July 5th, 2014 at 5pm all are invited to join us at CineCycle to begin a discussion on updating the mission statement concerning a 50/50 exhibition quota of film and video. Together we will deliberate the following questions:

How has the media landscape changed since this preamble was introduced?
In this heterogeneous mediascape, how do we productively differentiate between, curate, and support diverse media?

We will present the history of Pleasure Dome’s mission statement and chart its trajectory through past programming. We invite all participants to work together in a moderated discussion to imagine our future course through this hybrid terrain. This public forum will be followed by a vegetarian-friendly barbecue and Pleasure Dome’s annual Open Screening!

At 8 PM please join us for our annual Open Screening (sign-in between 7 and 8 PM if possible) where we invite our members and audience to present any film or video work (under 10 min.) in this non-curated screening. Bring your latest experimental work — finished or unfinished, found or stolen — to CineCycle prior to 8 PM. We screen on a first-come, first-shown basis and can accommodate most formats (35mm, Regular and Super 8, 16mm, VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray or Quicktime file on disc or flash drive). Please contact us at pdome@bell.net if you require more information.

Open Screening, 1995
Photo: John Porter