Good lord, Edmonton, there is so much great stuff going on this weekend.
This one’s near and dear to our hearts, though, because we <3 independent media like nobody’s business.
So do the folks at Edmonton Small Press Association, whose North of Nowhere Expo starts today and will be running through until October 31 (BTW, there’s also a writeup on the event over at Vue Weekly).
What is the NoN Expo? From their website: The North of Nowhere (NoN) Expo is a non-profit and volunteer-operated activist-arts festival that is committed to fostering the awareness of the arts as tools for positive social change.
The event kicks off tonight with events marking World Food Day. There’s an opening reception tonight at the Stanley Milner Library Theatre Lobby, featuring a Silent Art Auction and a Food Security & Organic/Fair Trade Fair.
Jeff exchanged a few e-mails with one of North of Nowhere organizers, Ian Weetman, earlier this week to get more details on the festival.
JEFF: Is this an expo from the small press association, or just connected with them on this event?
IAN: The Edmonton Small Press Association is hosting the event, just as it has since 1998. The event used to be held biannually, but in the last three year’s it has become an annual part of our programming.
JEFF: What can people take away from spending some time at the expo, as opposed to other events in the city, or their PVR?
IAN: The North of Nowhere Festival is a great opportunity for the public to learn about serious global issues in a very accessible way. Issues like Prison Justice, Food Security and the Palestinian conflict, for example, often get lost in or ignored by traditional media for one reason or another, so North of Nowhere is an opportunity to bring them back into the public sphere for discussion. And unfortunately the reality is that even if people are wanting to find out more information themselves it can be really difficult.
A lot of the films we’re showing are extremely difficult to find via traditional methods (DVD sales and rentals, Cable TV e.g. CBC Newsworld) and some are making their Canadian premiere’s at North of Nowhere like Palestinian Blues, which is a documentary that follows the plight of several West Bank farmers who learn that in 24 hours their farms will be confiscated to make way for the Security Fence around Israel.
JEFF: Who are they going to see speaking at the expo?
IAN: We have several interesting and provocative speakers lined up. One of the more interesting guests coming to town will be Mordecai Briemberg, a Vancouver-based peace activist who was sued by CanWest Media in 2007 along with six other unnamed parties for trademark infringment for allegedly being involved in creating and distributing a satirical joke issue of the Vancouver Sun newspaper that was critical of the Israeli government’s role in the ongoing Palestinian conflict.
We are also bringing in people for panel discussions on the SPP (Security & Prosperity Partnership), which most people
see as a NAFTA agreement of steroids that if passed will leave more and more control of society in the hands of powerful corporate interests. And towards the end of the festival, we’re presenting a workshop and discussion by the Beehive Collective, which is an all-volunteer arts-activist collective from the U.S. who have gained an international reputation for their collaboratively produced graphic campaigns focusing on globalization and militarization.
JEFF: What do you say to people who look at your lineup and sneer something about “loony lefties?”
IAN: Lol, it would be dishonest to say a good portion of our audience isn’t comprised of so-called “loony lefties” because they are, but most of the programming cuts across all political lines and ideologies. Food Security, for example, is really an issue that everyone is affected by. As a reality, at the end of the day, we all gotta eat regardless if we identify with a certain political party or not.
JEFF: I really like the small press fair. What kinds of publications are we ONLY going to see at this expo?
IAN: As we say at ESPA, “Become the Media” – so our small press fair is really a great opportunity to see people take that idea and run with it. It would also be safe to say that a good portion of the publications at the fair are self-published zines and locally produced albums by Edmonton artists that don’t have commercial distributors. Most times, even we don’t know what our vendors are going to bring to the fair, so all I can say is prepared to be surprised by what you may find.
Hi Ian,
Sally passed along your contact info, so I'm going to shoot you a couple
of
questions. Looks like you guys have a bunch of interesting and
intelligent
things happening this weekend.
*Is this an expo from the small press association, or just connected with
them on this event?*
The Edmonton Small Press Association is hosting the
event, just as it has since 1998. The event used to be held biannually,
but
in the last three year's it has become an annual part of our programming.
*What can people take away from spending some time at the expo, as
opposed
to other events in the city, or their PVR?*
The North of Nowhere Festival
is a great opportunity for the public to learn about serious global
issues
in a very accessable way. Issues like Prison Justice, Food Security and
the
Palestinian conflict, for example, often get lost in or ignored by
traditional media for one reason or another, so North of Nowhere is an
opportunity to bring them back into the public sphere for discussion.
And
unfortunately the reality is that even if people are wanting to find out
more information themselves it can be really difficult. A lot of the
films
were showing are extremely difficult to find via traditional methods (DVD
sales and rentals, Cable TV e.g. CBC Newsworld) and some like, are making
their Canadian premiere's at North of Nowhere like Palestinian Blues,
which
is a documentary that follows the plight of several West Bank farmers who
learn that in 24 hours their farms will be confiscated to make way for
the
Security Fence around Israel.
*Who are they going to see speaking at the expo? *We have several
interesting and provocative speakers lined up. One of the more
interesting
guests coming to town will be Mordecai Briemberg, a Vancouver-based peace
activist who was sued by CanWest Media in 2007 along with six other
unnamed
parties for trademark infringment for allegedly being involved in
creating
and distributing a satirical joke issue of the Vancouver Sun newspaper
that
was critical of the Israeli government's role in the ongoing Palestinian
conflict.
We are also bringing in people for panel discussions on the SPP (Security &
Prosperity Partnership), which most people see as a NAFTA agreement of
steroids that if passed will leave more and more control of society in the
hands of powerful corporate interests.
And towards the end of the festival, were presenting a workshop and
discussion by the Beehive Collective, which is an all-volunteer
arts-activist collective from the U.S. who have gained an international
reputation for their collaboratively produced graphic campaigns focusing on
globalization and militarization.
*What do you say to people who look at your lineup and sneer something
about
"loony lefties?"*
Lol, it would be dishonest to say a good portion of our audience isn't
comprised so-called "loony lefties" because they are, but most of the
programming cuts across all political lines and ideologies. Food Security,
for example, is really an issue that everyone is affected by. As a reality,
at the end of the day, we all gotta eat regardless if we identify with a
certain political party or not.
*
I really like the small press fair. What kinds of publications are we
ONLY
going to see at this expo?* As we say at ESPA, "Become the Media" so our
small press fair is really a great opportunity to see people take that
idea
and run with it. It would also be safe to say that a good portion of the
publications at the fair are self-published zines and locally produced
albums by Edmonton artists that don't have commercial distributors. Most
times, even we don't know what our vendors are going to bring to the
fair,
so all I can say is prepared to be surprised by what you may find.
*Thanks very much. And if there's anything I didn't hit upon that you
want
to mention, let me know.* I think that pretty much covered it but I
definately want people to check out our website for a complete schedule
of
events and background information including links to film trailers and
additional background info on our speakers and artists. It can be found
at
http://www.edmontonsmallpress.ca/non2009b/
