PiÃ³ro » Pebbled

The Post-Stratford Report

Matthew Pioro — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 02:59:18 +0000

Elif has just gotten back from Stratford and says Pebbled was well received. She lucked out with the film’s placement in the programme. It fell in the same group as Soldier of God, which drew a large crowd. Friday she’s off to DC. I’m wondering how long of a pedal DC is from Toronto.

Pebbled is on now!

Matthew Pioro — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 00:27:12 +0000

If you’re not at the Distillery District by now, you’re late! Pebbled is on. I’m going tomorrow. The full details go like this:

Distillery District
55 Mill Street
Toronto, Ontario

Performance Locations & Times
Outdoor: Tank Lane
Thursday, August 11th 9-10pm
Friday, August 12th 9-10pm
Saturday, August 13th 9-10pm
Sunday, August 14th 9-10pm

Indoor: ARTCORE Gallery
Saturday, August 13th, 1pm & 3pm
Sunday, August 14th, 1pm & 3pm

Pebbled Newly Sited

Matthew Pioro — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 00:50:10 +0000

Kat has dones a wonderful job with the new Pebbled site. The new new thing to check out is the Get Framed contest, a nice way for viewers to participate in the Pebbled experience.

The other week I was complaining to Elif about how crummy fFIDA has been on the promotion front. Only her name was on the fFIDA’s web site and the same was true for others involved with the Distillery Site Works. Elif came to the organiser’s defence, saying that not only are the people at fFIDA really busy right now, they also don’t have a whole lot of money. Of course they don’t. When do artistic events ever have enough funding? Apologies to fFIDA. Now, Elif does have her bio and a short description of Pebbled on the fFIDA site.

We’ll have fill’d their pockets full of pebble stones

Matthew Pioro — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 13:52:54 +0000

Elif called last night to say that Pebbled has been accepted into the Stratford-Upon-Avon International Digital Film Festival. That’s right. Her work is going to the Bard’s hometown. My voice, which is the only part of me in the film, will float into the Stratford air and I’ve still never visited the place. I wonder if my English BA will get revoked?

The festival’s web site doesn’t have any schedule information yet, but it does contain an interesting little fact. It is the first annual Stratford-Upon-Avon International Digital Film Festival. Elif’s debut film at Stratford’s inaugural film fest—for a student of drama, it’s quite fitting.

(Pebble stones?)

Pebbled is just rolling along

Matthew Pioro — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 02:26:28 +0000

An art project can have a life of its own, especially when Elif is behind it.

Two years ago, when Martha and I were marooned in Whitby, Elif called me and said, “Matt, we’re doing something for the Station Gallery.” Out of nowhere, Elif approached the head of the gallery and said that she was a dancer and she and her writer friend were wondering if their were any opportunities for performing at the gallery. The director said we could perform as part of the gallery’s anniversary festivities.

“So, Matt. Are you in?”

From there we developed a performance-art piece called Suburban Metre and Motion, which involved the reading of a long poem by yours truly combined with dancing/movement by Elif. It all went rather well in such a parochial little place.

From that one performance, Elif has been expanding the piece. Last autumn, Mike and I were recruited as cameramen for the film version of the piece. Afterwards, Elif found an editor and composer and then she had a four minute movie. The film, called Pebbled, not only draws on the same themes as the performance piece, but remains just as edgy. I’m not the only one who sees its merit either. Yesterday, DC Shorts, a short-film festival in Washington DC, announced that Pebbled will be a part of this year’s line-up.

Here in Toronto, Elif and Kat have been busy preparing Pebbled for performance at the fringe Festival of Independent Dance Artists (fFIDA) in August. This version is not going to feature Elif or me. Instead, Elif plans to have five dancers and video projection. I’m very excited.

In honour of all this activity and in order to make sure Pebbled gets the attention it deserves, I’ve created a new category here at Pióro. It’s called The Hype. More shall come.