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A giant web of packing tape was developed in the +15 of Bankers Hall for the High Performance Rodeo in January. People walking to and from work, heading out for a day of shopping or simply passing through were able to experience this free installation and even become a creator. Produced by Sarah Allen and Sam Ridgway

Many downtown pedestrians had the chance to get caught in the sticky web of #boxtape at the end of January. As part of the annual High Performance Rodeo, Calgary’s International Festival of the Arts, Montreal artist Peter Trosztmer spent a week building the #boxtape art installation in the Banker’s Hall +15 pedway. The structure was inspired and assisted by Trosztmer and co-creator Jeremy Gordaneer, but they believe that every passerby played a role in the development of the installation —whether by adding tape, climbing in, or simply stopping to talk about it.

“It allows people to enter into a place they’re unfamiliar with and become familiar with it. To inhabit a space that is normally not inhabited by a human body,” says Trosztmer.

Jeremy Gordaneer, co-creator of the original #boxtape concept, climbs through the structure in the Banker’s Hall +15, stretching and adding to the tangled web as he goes. Photo by Sam Ridgway

This year, High Performance Rodeo is stretching beyond stage play and traditional performance because they believe in engaging Calgarians in art.

“It makes the city feel alive, it makes it feel special, and a place you want to participate and feel proud about,” says Todd Hawkwood, publicist for High Performance Rodeo. “A lot of people go to cities like New York or London to see the arts, so we should be doing that here.”

Trosztmer adds that festivals like this teach people about themselves — something that everyone should get the chance to do.

“Art is important for everything, and everybody. It doesn’t have to be … put into a gallery, although it’s great when it is,” Trosztmer says, “but I really think that art should be part of every aspect of everything. We shouldn’t create these separations.”

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sallen@cjournal.ca sridgway@cjournal.ca

The editor responsible for this article is Nora Cruickshank, ncruickshank@cjournal.ca