Toronto will serve as the permanent home for Arcadia Earth, a multimedia experience that focuses on the difficult environmental issues of our times. The exhibit combines cutting edge art installations with an extended reality elements, and will be making its Canadian debut after successful runs in Las Vegas, New York, and Saudi Arabia.
What is Arcadia Earth?
Visitors to the exhibit will enter into a multisensory experience that allows them to explore the state of our planet via large scale art installations, alongside extended and virtual reality exhibits.
Arcadia Earth will be set up as a permanent installation within The Well, a mixed-use development at Spadina Avenue and Front Streets. The installation will cover 17,000 square feet with intricately designed immersive media. For the purposes of the Canadian installation, one of the rooms will be reserved for a Canadian Artist who went through a selection process earlier this year.
While the subject matter sounds (and is) dire, the focus is on using creativity to educate, and to spark a real passion in audience members to not just think about, but act on change.
The various installations are created using reusable materials and/or upcycled elements, such as the underwater world that was recreated using salvaged commercial fishing nets — the scourge of ocean wildlife. Thousands of pages from reclaimed books were used to create a large-scale beehive, spotlighting the crucial role bees play in our ecosystem.
Arcadia Earth and World Wildlife Fund Canada have teamed up to present one of the two projection mapping rooms called Regenerate Canada. It’s an interactive exhibit that demonstrates the concept of a tipping point, after which destruction of the natural world becomes irreversible. The message will, however, be one of hope — that we can still reverse the downward trend over the next decade.
We caught up with Craig Perlmutter, President of Arcadia Earth Toronto, for a few questions.
Craig Perlmutter Q&A
How did the project come about, i.e. the concept of using visual arts in this kind of multimedia experience to educate people?
Valentino Vettori is the Founder and Creator of Arcadia Earth, as well as an accomplished designer and artist. When crafting what Arcadia Earth would be, he had a clear vision on how art of all kinds can inspire people and bring people together. The main objective with Arcadia Earth was to create an educational space on climate change that wasn’t overwhelming or complicated but informative and awe-inspiring.
How did you select the artists and/or works that are included in the exhibition?
Founder Valentino Vettori spearheaded the selection of artists to bring various exhibits to life. All the artists we are collaborating with have an active role in the environmental space. In particular, the Canadian artist that was chosen from the Call to Artists submission process a few months ago, brings a special talent, vision and creativity to a specific and pressing environmental issue. We look forward to sharing more details on that in the coming months!
How much research went into the solutions and suggestions you present?
This is a key area where we collaborated with artists to integrate solutions and suggestions into the exhibits. Each exhibit addresses a specific theme. Artists took that theme and worked in solutions through their vision and messaging. For example, we have rooms that focus on single-use plastic reduction and e-waste. An amazing benefit to being a permanent anchor at The Well is that we aim to evolve our exhibits every 12–18 months to tackle different topics and issues.
From the Las Vegas exhibition:
Why was Toronto/Canada chosen as the site for the permanent exhibition?
Toronto is a world-class city, and Canada is emerging as a focal point and leader in sustainability and environmental issues. Our platform will be a place for Canadian entrepreneurs and other business leaders to showcase their innovations and strategies in helping to combat climate change. Our mission is to show individuals, Canadians and tourists, accessible ways they can affect positive, meaningful change.
What has the reception been like at the previous shows?
It was the entertainment value and undeniable wow-factor of Arcadia Earth’s art installations that initially drew people in. What guests left with was a newfound inspiration to make a difference using tangible lifestyle changes to live a more sustainable life or donations to specific causes they care about and more.
Arcadia Earth Toronto is set to open this fall, with a date to be announced in late summer. Sign up for updates [HERE]; more information [HERE].
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