Syndicate: SUGAR in Toronto

[czegledy@interlog.com (Nina Czegledy)]

Dear Syndicalists,

At the end of March, Janos Sugar (Syndicalist, Nettimer, artist, teacher,
writer,filmmaker) and his wife Agi, brought this winter's biggest snowstorm
to Toronto. The arrival was dramatic: flights were delayed, traffic came to
a halt and power failures plagued the city.

The visit was the result of collaborative efforts between four local
institutions (McLuhan Center, York and Ryerson Universities and
InterAccess) and was coordinated by the writer of this dispatch. The
whirlwind Sugar lecture tour included artist talks, university lectures,
gallery visits and a special dinner on the top of the CN tower - rumoured
to be the tallest in the world.
 "When I was confronted with the superb view from the top of the building
with all those lights shimmering in a comfortable distance - I suddenly
realized this is how I imagined cyberspace "- said Janos.

Janos delivered his first Toronto public lecture at the McLuhan Centre,
University of Toronto. ("I was most impressed by the colorful seventies
decor
-he said afterwards- all those funky swivel chairs...")
Rather than discussing specific media concepts or theories, he evoked
through personal anecdotes the intricate complexities of the Budapest art
scene in the eighties and nineties. Through these stories, the cultural
politics of those years, the development of media art and all those
involved with these events - came to life. "I feel that telling anecdotes
conveys different experiences easier and translates better notions between
"East" and "West", than formal lectures."-said Janos. Indeed, his talk was
well received by the audience ranging from media artists, through
McLuhanites to curious Hungarians.

The discussions continued next day (on the frozen shores of Lake Ontario)
with Felix Stalder of the McLuhan Center. Later Janos visited the galleries
and artists collectives of 401 Richmond St. This newly renovated, huge
industrial building is the home of editorial offices,
cooperatives,independent festival bureaus and four art galleries.
InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Center (one of the four co-sponsors of
Janos' visit)-showing currently the Spaceprobe robotics exhibit-  is also
located in this building.

The York University lecture necessitated a special excursion to the suburbs.
"It reminded me of one of those huge East German housing developments"-
remarked Janos of his expedition to the mammooth educational facility.
Joking aside, the art students (and there is a large number of them at
York), were impressed by his talk and he was asked back for studio visits
the next day. These studio visits entailed critical discussions and
informal evaluations of the post-graduate students work.

Ryerson Polytechnical University was the fourth sponsor of this invitation
and posited the last lecture on the Toronto schedule. Here at Ryerson,
Janos presented excerpts of his films and discussed at length topics
related to film and media art. Further than the slides and films shown, the
informal style of these presentations provided an unique personal glimpse
of European media activities for the Toronto students

The Sugar Tour ended appropriately in a violently shaking pub. After the
last talk, Janos and the four local media activists: Ger Zielinsky
(Ryerson), Nell Teenhaf (York) Felix Stalder (McLuhan Center) and myself,
repaired to celebrate. Whether the rambling of the walls was due to the
Sugar Effect or the nearby subway  - nobody knows for sure.


nina czegledy
the initiator