LOLA (London Ontario Live Arts) is a free four day multi-disciplinary excursion into visual art and sound. Our aim is to transform London's downtown core through subtle spectacles of the seen and heard.
September 16 / 17 / 18 / 19
The curatorial theme of LOLA 2010, Conflict//Resolution — stems from an interest in working with the social history and heritage of Victoria Park. A former British Army barrack turned green space, the park is currently home to many war memorials, including decommissioned military equipment. For the past four years, Victoria Park has also served as the central location for the LOLA Festival. In response to this, the art in this year's festival ofthen simultaneously references war and peace, while when possible referencing the history and culture of the park and London.
The musical trajectory of this year’s lineup was, in a sense, borrowed from the expanded and ever evolving musical oeuvre of the late Arthur Russell. Arthur’s limitless pallet and knowledge of musical languages was nothing short of extraordinary. Disco, the avant-garde, folk, soul, experimental, ambient, contemporary chamber works, and rock were but a few of the genres Arthur explored. In following Arthur and his world of echo through boundless musical landscapes, we're taught to appreciate new sounds, textures, subtle abstractions, and sonic colorings we'd yet to acknowledge or understand previously.
It’s through these over-arching contexts within the music that we've tried to communicate a playful sense of intrigue, exploration, and discovery within the sonic idiom of LOLA 2010.
Our Trans/ Media programme is a unique offering of hybrid sound, visual art forms and performances that bridge the divide between our music and art audiences. The Trans/ Media programme for 2010 features live performances by these artists as well as feature exhibitions and installations by many of these participants.
Trans/Media is our answer to our interest to explore even more experimental art forms and performances beyond the conventional boundaries of our existing musical and visual programme, while providing an opportunity for us to strengthen the bonds between the disciplines of art and music.
In keeping with LOLA’s artistic vision, Trans/ Media builds on our tradition of presenting internationally reknowned artists beside emerging London artists.
The LOLA Team
Andrew Francis: Founder
Romy Poletti: Director Development and Integration
Romy Poletti is the rookie director of LOLA this year. She's worked in LA and Montreal in the music industry, in business development and market research and is thrilled to be back home in London and part of the LOLA 2010 festival. Fun fact: Romy started out in the London music scene as a singer in a hardcore/metal band and wishes to thank the internet for not having any documentation of that moment in time...
Alicks Girowski: Artist Relations, Volunteer/Operations Consultant
Alicks Girowski has been with the LOLA Team since year one. Former Music and Promotions Director at 94.9 CHRW, Alicks has taken on many roles with LOLA including General Manager, Volunteer Coordinator, Operations, Promotions and Artist Relations, to name a few. She has recently re-located to Toronto and is looking forward to LOLA 2010!
Paul Walde: Artistic Director and Curator
Paul Walde is a multidisciplinary artist, musician, and curator. Walde’s artistic body of work suggests the interconnections between landscape, identity, and technology and includes painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, installation and audio. Walde is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario (BFA) and New York University (MA). As the Artistic Director and visual arts curator of LOLA for the past four years, Walde has presented projects by international and Canadian artists often blurring the lines between producer and curator.
Ian Doig-Phaneuf: Music Curator
Ian Doig-Phaneuf is a multi-instrumentalist, concert promoter, and booking agent from Windsor ON. He is best known as the drummer for the London / Toronto based improv group the Riderless, who together have released 5 full-length albums. Doig-Phaneuf is also a member of the experimental music trio A Priori, a volunteer / DJ at London's 94.9 CHRW, and records, performs, and DJ's under the monikers A Person Disguised As People and A Souvenir. Ian has been Music Curator of LOLA since the festival’s inception in 2006.
Titus Ferguson: Digital Team Leader
Adam Caplan: Guru at Large
Tiffany Roschkow: LOLA Vendor Village Coordinator
This is Tiffany's first year at LOLA. She knows virtually nothing about the art and music scene in London, but she is wicked organized - so Andrew asked her help make sure you have something to eat and look at between shows at the festival. In her other life, she runs a nonprofit social enterprise called ecoLIVING London.
David Brebner: Finance Director & Treasurer
David is a senior manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Audit and Assurance practice in London, Ontario and has over eight years of experience, working with private enterprises, public companies and various not-for-profits organizations.
In addition to his role in serving clients, David has also taken on firm responsibilities including Quality and Technology Champion for the Southwestern Ontario offices. Within the community, he hold positions on the executive committee and operations board of the Grand Theatre and other Board positions in other not-for-profit and educational organizations, along with his role as being the treasurer for the Anna Francis Arts Initiative, the not-for-profit programming the LOLA Festival.
Elizabeth Kraler: Accounting Assistant
Elizabeth is a 21 year-old undergrad student going into her fourth year of finance at the University of Western Ontario. Originally from a small town, just south of Windsor called Amherstburg, Elizabeth has dreams of working towards a CA designation in either Toronto or London and eventually would like to work in the music industry in Toronto.
She has attended LOLA in the past two years and has enjoyed performances by We are Wolves, Holy Fuck, Thunderheist, A Horse and His Boy and Elfin Saddle.
Brady Wood: Board Liaison
Jesse Gibb: Designer:
Jesse is the principle of Gibb Design a successful London graphic design firm. Jesse first became involved with LOLA in 2008 while assisting Dave Dyment in the creation of the Big Band FM works for the festival that year. Since then Jesse has been involved in every aspact of the LOLA design.
Tanya Giannelia: Volunteer Coordinator
Tanya moved to London just over a year ago, and will be coordinating volunteers at this year's LOLA fest. She has a wealth of experience in the non-profit sector, especially in volunteer management and event coordination, and is excited for the opportunity to apply it to a new cause.
Ember Johnstone: ROGERS lead sponsorship partner
Nicole Laidler: Communications and Public Relations
Nicole Laidler is a freelance writer and the owner of Spilled Ink Writing & Wordsmithing. As a journalist, she is a regular contributor to Business London, London Citylife and Lifestyle magazines and is also print editor and classical music columnist for The Beat – Arts in London magazine. As a wordsmith, Nicole provides communications support for a number of corporate and not-for-profit clients including Conservatory Canada, the National Broadcast Orchestra of Canada, the London Jewish Film Festival and Canaccord Capital Corporation, London. Nicole is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario’s journalism program and a member of the Professional Writers Association of Canada and Editors’ Association of Canada. A former freelance classical musician, she is delighted to be part of the LOLA 2010 team! Visit her online at www.spilledink.ca
Stephanie Kohls: National PR support and engagement
Chris Pollard: Special projects engineering resource for visual art projects
Savanah Sewell: Promo Support, Satellite Event Support, Artists/Venue Liason
Savanah joins the LOLA team this year with pep in her step and her dance pants ready to go. Bringing forward production and backstage venue experience thanks to the JLC, Savanah is excited to help with the fine details. A founding member of 379 Collective, she is thrilled to bring her skills to the table. Everything from putting up posters, delivering sandwiches to bartending, Savanah is on it. She also firmly believes in a good party - so get ready London, LOLA is going to shine this year!
Katie Wilhelm: promo support
Brianne Gavigan: Intern Extraordinaire
Brianne Gavigan is a Media, Information and Technoloculture (MIT) 4th year student and joins this year's festival organization as Intern Extraordinaire. She is our social networking guru and has brought fresh eyes and ears to all aspects of the festival -- you may notice these great new features at the festival this year!
