Bouncy Highrise is a performance event in which a small crew of people will attempt to stack a tower of bouncy castles, one on top of the other. This will take MOCCA’s courtyard.

The project organizers intend to draw attention to the numerous highrise towers that seemingly “spring up overnight” in the Queen St. W. neighbourhood, redefining its character.

The inflatable castles may or may not stack tidily however, and therein lies the crux of the piece. It might be quite sisyphean as the tower leans, buckles, deflates, twists, or tumbles. We cannot predict what will happen, but it will be up to the performers to react in the moment with improvised problem solving and teamwork. The audience will be invited to watch from a safe barricaded vantage point, as the 35 foot tall monumental tower is constructed. The castles would be tied to each other and secured to the adjacent brick wall as required, so the tower could not topple in the direction of the audience. I imagine the event would be a nail-biter, akin to watching a five-story tall game of Jenga. Failures would provide tragicomic relief from an earnest engineering endeavor. Ad hoc solutions would be plentiful as the crew attempted to overcome hurdles.

The project is aspirational in nature and will recall not only ambitious local architecture (condominiums, CN Tower, etc) but art historical works such as Brancusi’s Endless Column, a piece cited by Derek Sullivan in his Villa contribution. Bouncy Highrise is intended as a serious response to Toronto’s recent exponentially increased urban density, yet the performance maintains a tone of levity and playfulness.

Presented by Jessica Bradley Gallery in association with MOCCA and Villa Toronto