PARTIES
Earth Dreams
July 8, 2023
The Bentway, Toronto
Earth Dreams: A Summer Party for Grief & Love
By Nocturnal Medicine
Commissioned and Produced by The Bentway
Curator and Lead Producer: Alex Rand
Artist studio Nocturnal Medicine presented a contemporary festival that centered both joy and sorrow, dancing and meditation, as we confronted our planetary health crisis. Equal parts DJ dance party and urban ritual.
Summer in the city holds two very different realities in the era of climate urgency: it is a time of sunshine and flourishing, while also a time of unprecedented heat and ecological unease. It is a season ripe for dreaming up new possibilities for the future of our planet. At the height of the season, as the sun sets over the Gardiner, we looked to embrace the complexity – all the joy, grief, dysregulation, and hope – of summer in a 21st century city.
Nocturnal Medicine presented an urban gathering for a city facing climate change. Earth Dreams invited Toronto to confront the painful truths of our planetary health crisis, to explore where progress lies, and to celebrate emergent possibilities for the future of Earth. Designed as a party with a meditative journey, this event encompassed collective solidarity, dancing, and moments of contemplation, all drawing from the cultural and ecological histories and futures of The Bentway.
Working with the understanding that today’s layered environmental crises evoke powerlessness and disconnection in so many, this event aimed to catalyze our collective grief and joy as channels towards deeper love, accountability, and connection to our environment and to each other.
“This experience re-injected every ounce of life and creativity I yearned for. Thank you for creating this incredible space and using sound in such an intentional and uplifting way.”
— Bianca Lee, participant
“Earth Dreams had a powerful flow to it, starting with a conscious grounding group meditation that set the tone for the evening. We connected with our earth, its trauma, our trauma, its beauty. We ate delicious strawberries and danced with flowers in our hands. The dance was a beautiful way to connect in unison and elevate our vibration. If we work together in the energy of love and compassion, we can live more harmoniously on this planet through these challenging times.”
— Vanessa Teien Kamevaar, participant
In The Press
In The Press
“Choosing climate hope for a dance partner”
National Observer
“This ‘climate rave’ aims to help people grapple with eco grief and anxiety”
The Weather Network