photo taken by Michael MyersThis performance festival has its roots in Queer City Cinema — the LGBT friendly film and video festival that Gary Varro has been programming in Regina since 1996. Performatorium has a similar thematic focus as QCC, but here the emphasis is on live performance. The 2014 festival runs from Jan. 15-18. It includes a mix of performances, talks, panel discussions and a Labounge  that functions as a hybrid creative and social space. Venues include the University of Regina, Neutral Ground, Artesian on 13th and the Artful Dodger.

One highlight promises to be Sydney, Australia artist Julie Vulcan. Friday from 11a.m.-7 p.m. she’ll be conducting her performance I Stand In at the University of Regina Fifth Parallel student gallery. That’s an image from a previous version of I Stand In above. What it involves is 32 volunteers who “stand in” for nameless casualties we often see in news reports covering natural disasters, wars, crime and other incidents of violence. Because we’re viewing these people through the lens of mass media, we’re necessarily distanced from the tragedies that we are bearing witness too. By attending to each volunteer and performing a “corpse washing” ritual Vulcan invites us to think more deeply about the tragedies that news media (with varying degrees of sensitivity and insight) report on.

You can find a complete list of events for Performatorium 2014 here.