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  • Jan 10, 2009
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One Night Only is a Regina-based performance art collective consisting of members Blair Fornwald, Tanis Keiner, and Anna Scott. Working together in the spirit of collaboration, members of the collective conceive of individual gestures that respond to the social, political, or poetical resonances of specific sites. Formed in Regina in 2002, the collective has also included artists Adam Budd (2002-2006), Felipe Diaz (2002-2008), Allan Dotson (2002), and Tammy McGrath (2002-2004). One Night Only has performed at venues across Canada including Neutral Ground (Regina, 2002, 2004), LIVE Festival (2003), Fado Performance (Toronto, 2004), Struts Gallery (Sackville, 2004), The New Gallery (Calgary, 2005), The University of Regina Fine Arts Subscription Series (Regina, 2006), The MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina, 2006, 2008), and Latitude 53 (Edmonton, 2006). This is their last performance together.

One Night Only performance SwanSong

Artist’s Statement

The members of One Night Only first performed together in the summer of 2002, in an abandoned storefront building on a not-yet-gentrified block of downtown Regina. Reflecting on the specifics of this site, we created a series of gestures that reflected on the interrelated concepts of potential, renovation, and decay, concepts that would remain present in subsequent performances.

We had not intended to form a performance art collective, but simply to collaborate on a project together, a performance that would revitalize this space for one night only. This was the first of roughly one dozen performance projects created together. Over time, we developed a methodology for creating work, wherein we would work together to develop thematic content – usually invoked from a specific space or place, then working individually to create gestures or actions to be performed individually. Over time also, a number of thematic concerns became prevalent in our work, which frequently explored notions of individual and collective identity, communication and its subsequent breakdown, transitional states, and pathos or failure.

This is to be One Night Only’s final performance, our swansong. In it, we hope to summarize or reflect on our six and a half year history and pay tribute to our past members. This work is intended as an elegy, a reflection on endings.

Swan Song

Seven large blocks of snow will be installed in the space in a circular formation. Three of these blocks will serve as chairs for the performers; the others will be left empty, as they belong to our past members. At the beginning of the performance, we will take our seats and will begin our activities. The duration of the performance will be determined by the amount of time it takes for our snow-chairs to melt: it will end when we are sitting in puddles of melted snow on the floor. At this time, we will clear the space of snow and water, and change our clothes in the performance space, signaling the end of the piece.


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