Come Into Our Parlour | It’s probably filled with sweets!
Artists Connecting Now
Presented by The Blush Connection. May 25 (doors at 7:30pm). Starlite Room (10030-102 St). Entry by donation.
“It’s basically just a really cool house party,” says Jacqueline Perina.
“With costumes and funky lights and a bunch of different performers,” adds Perina’s partner, Jasmine Ming-Wai Ma.
They’re describing the Artists Connecting Now event, their latest creation, which takes place this weekend. It’s a party, sure, but the pair isn’t comfortable with the label “party planners” or “artists” or even “entrepreneurs.” Above all else, they consider themselves BFFs.
“We’ve been best friends for 20 years,” says Ma, “since we were five.” They’ve dubbed themselves The Blush Connection—a cutesy title that does double duty as their band and company name. Their purpose, explains Ma, is to “get artists together, to promote each other, and to engage new audiences.” Basically, they’re trying to alter the landscape of Edmonton’s oft-criticized arts scene, and they’re starting by putting on—what else?—an art show.
The first event for the Blush Connection is a multidisciplinary showcase of local untapped talent. But it’s more than just bands on a stage or a fashion show; it’s interactive art. “Jump up on stage, yell, dance,” says Perina. “The entire show is an art piece.”
Ma takes the description one step further, “The audience isn’t the viewer—it is the art itself.” (This last bit sends me into a nervous inner dialogue about what sort of shoes art wears to its own show.)
Three bands, two fashion shows (one is all eyewear), dance performances, a “circus crew” of DJs, and multimedia visuals: it all converges at The Starlite this Sunday. The headlining band, Violet Archer, is just one of many local groups starting to see the benefits of the ladies’ “connections.” Ma says they’re not looking to assume management roles with the artists they meet, but instead want to act as a “springboard” for newly discovered creative genius. “We’re definitely trying to bring up the smaller artists first,” adds Perina.
Of course, any bands (or visual artists or dance troupes) who gain popularity will likely make their exit from Edmonton soon after. Neither of the girls blames Edmonton for this reality, though. In fact, they consider it fortuitous to have conceived their plan here.
“In lots of ways we can make a bigger impact here,” says Perina. “It would be harder to get to the same level in Toronto that we could get here. Edmonton is a ‘big fish, little pond’ environment.” As a red Mustang convertible filled with frosted-tipped dudes drives past us, Barenaked Ladies blaring from its speakers, I wonder how long Edmonton’s cultural kiddie pool can support “mutually beneficial art” before we see all the same acts and shake all the same hands. Ma and Pernia obviously are in tune with each other—they frequently finish each other’s sentences—but how well do they understand Edmonton? Haven’t they noticed the incestuous, sometimes pretentious nature of our little “scene”?
Perina, for one, knows where that question is coming from. She says she’s grown “a little tired” of the indie scene and will soon be leaving Edmonton for Toronto. “There’s just not enough people to support individuals, unfortunately,” she says.
But Ma thinks Edmonton still has a lot to offer. “It’s still a small city,” she says, “but I think Edmonton is definitely blossoming. There’s constantly new people coming up, which is creating a new crowd. By connecting random artists and shoving them all in one venue, we’re creating a new audience [and a new scene] for everyone. We’re like an art garden, where people can plant their seeds and grow.”
