Double Double Land
| Address | 209 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2L4 |
|---|---|
| Opened | 2009 |
| Closed | June 20, 2018 |
Double Double Land was a performance art space and music venue that operated out of Toronto, Ontario's Kensington Market until its June 2018 closure. Founded by Jon McCurley and Daniel Vila in 2009, the eclectic venue was best known for being an underground, artist-driven venue with a focus on filling a void in the Toronto art scene for less conventional and profitable projects.
History
Double Double Land opened in 2009 by Jon McCurley and Daniel Vila.[1][2] Initially located in a second floor flat at 209 Augusta Avenue, it expanded into community focused space with the assistance of roommates Steve Thomas and Rob Gordon.[3] After moving in the house required extensive clean up and renovations to address what Vila recalled in a 2014 interview with blogTO as the "garbage, cockroaches, graffiti, and smashed walls" left behind by former tenants.[4] The idea for Double Double Land was prompted by events previously held by Vila and Bonny Poon at Jamie's Area, which operated out of basement at 193 Augusta Avenue.[4] The first official event at Double Double Land was a reading by American poet Eileen Myles.[4]
Over the course of the Double Double Land's operation events were organized, overseen and subsidized by a rotating number of tenants whose opened their home to local and touring artists.[4][1] A multi-faceted and community focused venue, Double Double Land served a number of purposes including music venue, gallery space and comedy bar.[3] Vila explained the purpose of the space as "provid[ing] performance experiences that don't make sense in other places."[4] In addition to hosting the monthly performance show Doored (2012-2015), the venue featured events and installations by artists including Petra Glynt, Le1f, New Fries, Grimes and Ian Svenonius.[1][2]
In addition to being a home for off-the-beaten-path performers and artists, Double Double Land had a progressive approach to how it served the community. In 2016 was one of Toronto's first venues to have overdose kits available on site in response to the growing number of fentanyl related overdoses.[5] Double Double Land organizers also committed themselves to introducing necessary safety measures to address the issue of sexual violence in music and arts communities following an assault at the venue in 2015.[1] In consultation with the Toronto-based Noise Against Sexual Assault initiative the venue added panic buttons to washrooms and changed the design of doorways in order to improve sight lines.[6]
Closure
Double Double Land's closure was announced abruptly by Vila part of a Facebook event announcement in late June 2018, when indicated that performances by Mary Ocher, Lief Hall, Bile Sister and Canadian Romantic would be the last at the venue.[2] Though a reason for the closure was not disclosed, Vila indicated the venue was being shut down by the landlord.[7] Despite a lack of details, media coverage regarding the announcement linked the development to the consequence of Toronto's real estate market on the city's arts scene.[2][1]
In writing about the impact of Double Double Land's closure on the Toronto art scene, Mark Streeter pointed to the tension between fostering unconventional art projects and profitability: "There's a reason why any city needs venues like this: they offer programming and events that are simply too risky and unprofitable for any business-minded venue to take on."
References
^ abcde Streeter, Mark (21 June 2018). "Double Double Land is no more". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 21 July 2018..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ abcd Slingerland, Calum (21 June 2018). "Toronto Venue Double Double Land Announces Closure". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
^ ab Sayej, Nadja (8 September 2010). "Seeing Double Double -- keeping Toronto's lo-fi art scene growing". YongeStreet. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
^ abcde [Unknown], Aubrey. "What's up with Kensington Market's oldest DIY venue?". blogTO. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
^ Tierney, Allison (5 October 2016). "A DIY Venue in Toronto Has Started Carrying Overdose Kits On-Site". Vice. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
^ Lewis, Carly (10 February 2017). "Toronto groups look to combat sexual harassment, violence in city's nightlife scene". Retrieved 21 July 2018.
^ O'Neil, Lauren (June 2018). "Popular underground Toronto music venue is closing". blogTO. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
