Water Week

Giving artistic voice to an element that connects us all

There is no doubt that people develop a strong connection to water when they have been around it long enough. Oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds. All you have to do is hang around water long enough and it will connect with you in some way. Being completely surrounded by water in the County gives us a unique perspective. Food, fun, danger, weather, employment and opportunity are all associated with the water around us. In this day and age, we know that our planet’s water source is constantly under attack from things like pollution, over-fishing and harmful chemicals from daily products we use. If you look at the news, you could get a pretty bleak outlook on things environment- wise. But there is always hope, and events like the inaugural Wellington Water Week happening here are emerging all over the world with the goal of bringing focus to the planet’s most precious resource.

Maria Gacesa didn’t plan on organizing a festival for water, but one day last year she was cleaning her house and listening to a piece of music called Rivers Set 3: No. 5 by well-known Canadian composer Ann Southam when some ideas came into focus.

“The music was an amazing minimalist piece and I had such a strong visual come to me about how this could be a gorgeous immersive installation where you’re listening to the music live, but you’re in this projected environment of under water. I got sidetracked from cleaning and starting Googling about water-influenced events happening around the world,” said Gacesa.

What came up when she searched was a link to a symposium that happens every year in Stockholm called World Water Week, and it’s put on by the Stockholm International Water Institute. It is a week-long series of symposium talks all over the city. Gacesa was intrigued, but wondered if there was an artistic voice put to the week of talks in Stockholm. There wasn’t. Then the ideas came flooding into her mind about pieces of music, art and dance, all inspired by water. She enlisted the help of two musical friends who were eager to take the reins of the musical direction that week. Johannes Debus is the artistic director of the Canadian Opera Company and Elissa Lee is a violinist for the Ensemble Made in Canada. Both Debus and Lee have been to the County many times and Lee has taught several lessons at the Port Milford Music Festival. So, with the two of them on board, Gacesa was able to “blue sky” some what-if scenarios and they evolved into the musical directors and the ones responsible for arranging all the concerts.

The couple had already been interested in promoting opera and classical-based shows in the County, so it was a natural fit with what Gacesa’s vision was initially. Both called in a bunch of their friends and contacts to create the base of the festival’s lineup. Another important key to this puzzle has been the addition of Susan Smythe- Bishop, who joined the festival and immediately helped in bringing the calibre and presence of the new festival up a few notches. Susan’s experience in publicity and social media filled a gap that was needed in getting the festival off the ground.

The community’s involvement and willingness to participate is what has impressed Gacesa the most. Her idea of using the village of Wellington as a canvas to create programming that celebrates water has been well-received by the community, with a wide array of businesses participating. Water Week is also using the incredible backdrop of the lakefront (that we as residents may take for granted when we live here) as much as possible during the festival. Some venues being used are the United Church, The Drake Devonshire, the new Festival Players studio space and a tent that will be located at 243 Main Street. The Midtown Brewing Company will host a week-long Square Foot art exhibit curated by Stew Jones called Swim, Drink, Fish. It will feature 12 x 12-inch works inspired by Lake Ontario. In total 15 artists are participating, including Pamela Carter, Bee Sargeant, Christopher Wakelin and many more. Each painting will cost $250 and 50 per cent of all proceeds go the Wellington Rotary Club. Other highlights include Popera at The Drake Devonshire featuring the COC ensemble on Sunday, August 26, and Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Jennifer Gasoi performing under the tent at 243 Main Street. A great family option is an installation called “Underwater”, which is an augmented reality experience created for Water Week. Kids and adults can move through a visual and audio landscape that immerses them underwater. The creator of this installation is Yugen, a Picton-based interactive storytelling studio that brings together augmented reality technology with adventure-based learning.

The team at Wellington Water Week have put together an ambitious week of programming and are hoping that the public feels the energy of a community rallying behind a cause of this impressive lineup of cultural events. You can purchase tickets at the door of any Water Week event. There is something for everyone at Wellington Water Week, and if you haven’t found a connection to water yet, this festival will help you get there.

For a full schedule of events, keep an eye on The Times next week, or visit wellingtonwaterweek.org