Up Here 10

Are we there yet?

We’ve all been there, bubbling at the excitement of a new adventure, of what’s around the bend in the road, of the promise lingering just beyond the horizon. It’s a familiar itch—the thrill of the unknown. 

Up Here 10 will navigate that exhilarating blend of anticipation and wonder, where time seems to stretch and contract in sync with our restless curiosity. Childlike curiosity and play weave through the essence of this year’s theme—"Are we there yet?"—inviting artists to celebrate the process as much as the final product. 

"Are we there yet?" asks artists to traverse the abstract landscapes of time, space, and the uncharted territories of the imagination. Like Kerouac's beatniks, this theme embraces the allure of the open road, where every turn unfurls a new story and each destination is a step towards the next revelation. And Sudbury isn't just a destination but a nexus of artistic expression—with strong local networks and far-reaching influences. What we seek might be closer than expected.

“Are we there yet?” also acknowledges the raw and open-ended nature of the creative process. Everything is a work in process. Completeness is an illusion. The arc matters as much as the zenith.

 “Are we there yet?” evokes the feeling that nothing is happening right now, but it will, when the truth is that all we have is the present—the future is unknown. Liminal space is about being in between, in time or space, in a sort of purgatory. Aesthetically this is often reflected as the absence of activity, or even just the concept of absence.

Not to get too sciency about art, but this year, as we look back on 10 years of Up Here, we’re inspired by the concept of the observer effect in quantum physics, which suggests that the act of observing or measuring a phenomenon fundamentally alters it. As observers, we shape our community; as observers, you’ve all shaped the festival. Up Here does not exist within a vacuum; it is shaped by and shapes in return the people around it at every level, from performers to artists to staff to lovers to haters. We invite artists applying to Up Here 10 to explore how the idea that our expectations, perceptions, and inquiries along the way shape the journey itself.

"Are we there yet?" is an open invitation to join us on our trip, taking things in whatever direction calls you. Bring your own snacks.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”
— Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Up Here festival, a laboratory of possibilities

Up Here is a multi-venue music and urban art festival with a focus on exciting and provocative emerging artists. We are dedicated to the presentation of underrepresented genres and to the curation of pieces of contemporary public art. We are looking for musical projects, muralists, and immersive installation artists to help shape the festival experience.

Up Here stands in solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island. We encourage all our settler friends to join us in the continuous learning, adapting, sharing, supporting, and fighting required to end systemic racism in this country and move toward true reconciliation.

Up Here takes place on the traditional lands of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek in N'Swakamok, also known as Sudbury, which includes the traditional lands of the Wahnapitae First Nation. We pay tribute to all First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples who are the caretakers of the past, present, and future of this land.

Submit before 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, January 31, 2024.

All submissions are reviewed by artistic discipline by the Up Here Programming Committees. The evaluation process is based on artistic merit, the timing of latest releases, the pertinence of the project with this year's theme (less relevant for musical projects) and pairing with other artists in the lineup.

We receive over 500 artist submissions every year. All submissions will be reviewed thoroughly but due to the high volume of submissions, only successful applicants will be contacted.

Inspiration

 
 

Exploring and demystifying various types of strange, yet familiar-looking places.

Distance and Special Relativity: How far away is tomorrow?

Rick Rubin on the creative act, enjoying the process, and discovering ideas floating through the universe.

The double-slit experiment is the strangest phenomenon in physics. Meet the Observer Effect.

 
“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.”
— Douglas Adams
 

Oh! The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss

 
“You’ll look up and down streets.
Look ‘em over with care.
About some you will say,
”I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains
and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down
any not-so-good street.”
— Dr. Seuss
 

Philosopher of physics David Albert and physicist Neil Turok, discuss the problem of observation in quantum physics.

National Lampoon’s Vacation - Clark Loses It

A German Shepherd dog wanders endlessly, only stopping to do a good deed or help a person in need, before returning to his road without end.

The Power of a Roadtrip and How It Transformed My Story - TedTalk by Ray Ricafort.

 
“Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”
— Pablo Picasso
 

“I’ll turn this damn bus around.”

Sudbury and the Mysteries of the Universe

Jad Abumrad says he finds creative success by examining his life—and career—and asking one question: “What’s possible right outside my border?” Start at 4:30.

Jack Kerouac reads On The Road

 
“If you know what you want to do and you do it, that’s the work of a craftsman. If you begin with a question and use it to guide an adventure of discovery, that’s the work of the artist. The surprises along the way can expand your work, and even the art form itself.”
— Rick Rubin
@alokvmenon

constant becoming: what art teaches us about life

♬ original sound - alokvmenon
 
 

Interesting Links

On Kawara - Wikipedia - Prolific artist who documented time, trip, life through his work

Liminal space (aesthetic) - Wikipedia

Omni Calculator - Weird units of measurement calculator (ie. Toronto to Sudbury is 266,667 Danny DeVitos, 194,175 LeBron James’, 168,067 cartwheels, 16,000,000 Goldfish Crackers and only 0.019 Great Walls of China.)

The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost

Observer Effect (Physics) - Wikipedia

 

Potential Presentation Spaces for Art Installations

Up Here makes use of specific venues and temporary infrastructure on the street.

We work with installation artists to find interesting and fitting spaces to showcase their work. Although it is not a requirement for submitting a project, installation artists are invited to think about how their project could be integrated within specific festival infrastructure.

The Dome prior to a pop-up show during the festival

The Dome

Up Here’s signature geodesic dome is a central piece of the festival experience. A freestanding 35-foot tall structure, the Dome is used as a venue to present pop-up shows, dance parties and all-around good times.

Since 2016, it has been used as a canvas for digital projections, for hung installations and for some of the festival’s most memorable musical performances.

Artists are invited to consult the Dome Construction Manual and submit projects that can be installed in the Dome.

 

The shipping container during the festival setup on Durham Street.

The Shipping Container

This large metal 20 ft rectangle sits on Durham Street during the event. It’s a party in a box that acts as storage for the festival throughout the year and is moved to the street during the festival setup. The standard container is 20 ft long by 8 ft wide by 8 ft 6 in tall.

Artists are invited to submit projects that play with and integrate the container.

 

Stunning immersive installation by Kristina Rolander at the Townehouse Tavern during Up Here 4.

Late-Night Stages

Late-night venues are smaller than our main venues and space on stage is often limited but if you’ve got a project in mind that can work with these constraints, we want to hear from you. We love allowing visual artists to turn our stages into immersive experiences for both artists and festival-goers.