ARCTIC PLAY

Arctic Play was a launch and celebration of poet, comix and print artist, activist and educator Mita Mahato’s new book which was inspired by a month-long residency in Iceland.

Mita organized an evening in collaboration with writers Jane Wong, Tessa Hulls, Jasmine Smith, Sarah Leav, Anne de Marcken, RM Francis, DJ Lee who read excerpts from the book while still images were projected onto the wall behind them. It was a multimedia showcase that included an audio/music/sound performance by RM Francis who used one of Mita’s texts and synchronized the linebreaks to sound map Mita’s voice into the image of the collage, a performance by Mita and DJ who dressed as a polar bear and an explorer, and Tessa Hulls sat down with Mita for a conversation about ecological distress, the nuances and expansive emotions involved in play and more.

There was a really warm and celebratory atmosphere among the attendees who brought so much love and appreciation for all of the hard work Mita put into this book. It was also lovely to see the beauty of the relationship between Mita and 3rd Thing Press who supported the creation and celebration of Arctic Play.