Trade-up auction to raise money for Fringe performances protesting destruction of Experimental Farm trees
By Yasmeen Amer
As protests continue against the location of the new Ottawa Hospital Civic campus and the environmental damage it will cause in the Experimental Farm and Queen Juliana Park, a trade-up auction is being organized to raise money for performances about the issue at this year’s Fringe Festival.
A trade-up is an auction where instead of bidding money for an item, people bid with other items of higher value, says organizer Heather White.
White explains that Irene’s Pub will post the item for auction on its Facebook page or website every week, and anyone interested can send their bid to ottawatrees@yahoo.com. The item of highest value will then be traded and posted the following week.
Starting with a black walnut donated by Adrian Baker, an artist who draws a lot of inspiration from nature, the first item will be posted on February 9. The auction will go on for 12 weeks and the final item will be auctioned at Irene’s Pub for money that will be donated to defray the costs of the Fringe Festival performance.
The Fringe Festival will be held from June 16 to 26. It provides a platform for local, national and international theatre artists to produce their work. Each year, Fringe runs a lottery to determine who will perform at the festival. White says their production crew, Everything Matters Productions, was lucky to win a spot this year and they have begun producing a performance entitled whY!
“The main reason we’re doing this is to raise awareness about what is happening to our environment and to encourage people to be involved in whatever way they can,” says White.
The Fringe performance will be “specifically looking at the use of Queen Juliana Park and the cutting down of 750 trees on federal park land” for the construction to start this spring of a four-story parking garage beside Dow’s Lake, says White.
Many local artists who have been involved in protests this year, most notably the Tree Songs protests, will be involved in the Fringe performance. Artists have been using their talents in painting, sculpting, singing and songwriting to showcase their love of trees and to spread awareness of the issue.
Romani Bays, a singer and songwriter, has been protesting most Thursdays and Sundays, wrapped up in many layers to stay warm. She wrote and performed an original song about the trees at the Experimental Farm for Tree Songs 3, which took place on January 22 and 23.
“Parks and forests are the gems that we have in society,” says Bays. “People go in there to find peace, to find tranquility, to find smiles and happiness and to exercise.” She says she’d love to be involved in the Fringe performance as well.
Says White: “I am one of many people who have been opposed to the building of a parking lot in Queen Juliana Park and have been protesting and working with local government to stop this process, which to many people seems unstoppable. I’m one of a large group of people who are supporting the development of the play. We’ve had people wanting to write, direct, make props and do the sets, and we’ve had light and sound people coming forward, too.”
White explains that over 50 local artists have already written original songs about the trees for the Tree Songs protests and some will be featured in the performance. Local artists have stepped up for these protests as well. For example, Arthur II, a local artist, will be providing a weekly rendering of the item up for auction at the trade-up auction. His work will be displayed in the front window at Irene’s Pub.
Irene’s, located at 885 Bank Street, will be the centre for the trade-up auction, one of several initiatives to raise money for the Fringe performance. Items will be displayed there each week as well as being posted on the pub’s website and Facebook page, and all trades can be dropped off and picked up there.
Yasmeen Amer is in her final year at Carleton University, majoring in Journalism with a double minor in Business and Political Science.
