The Burn
Come take part in the Commemorative Gathering featuring The Burn starting at sunset on March 11 at Nathan Phillips Square.
January 19 to March 12, 2023
Heal and cleanse through the restorative power of rising heat, ash, smoke and water of The Burn, an interactive installation inspired by the universally sacred elements of fire and water. Providing a sanctuary for comfort and care with rituals of intention setting, releasing and letting go, this installation is part of Stronger TOgether, a program for Toronto residents to recognize and reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Engage with The Burn’s travelling vessels as they tour the city from January 19 to March 11, inspiring Torontonians to set healing intentions on wooden spheres.
Following the tour, take part in a commemorative ceremony featuring The Burn at Nathan Phillips Square on March 11, 2023, the third anniversary of the official start of the pandemic, in memory of lives lost. Experience a shared exhalation through fire, water and immersive waves of sounds, as the vessels’ wooden spheres, along with fresh ones created onsite, come together to ignite for a 24-hour burn from March 11 to 12.
Ashes from the burn will be harvested, mixed into soil and spread across city gardens to honour the spirit of our collective healing.
The Burn was created by multi-talented, award-winning artist Roger Mooking in collaboration with interdisciplinary artist and designer Javid JAH and multi-disciplinary artist and Wyandot Elder Catherine Tammaro.
The Burn vessels will be touring communities, collecting Torontonians’ healing intentions. Visit a site below to reflect on the pandemic, set your intentions and place them within the vessel to be released through fire.
Mackenzie House
Installation available in the Gallery of Mackenzie House, located at 82 Bond St.
March 2 to 11
Wednesday to Sunday: 10:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m. and 2:15 p.m.
Elmbank Community Centre
Installation available in the main lobby of Elmbank Community Centre, located at 10 Rampart Rd.
March 2 to 11
Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday: 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Toronto City Hall
Installation available in the Rotunda on the main floor of Toronto City Hall, located at 100 Queen St W.
March 2 to 11
Monday to Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Please note, Visitor Screening is in effect at City Hall.
Come take part in the Commemorative Gathering featuring The Burn at Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St W., on March 11, the third anniversary of the official start of the pandemic, in memory of lives lost and to let go and transform the emotions we have all been carrying. The Commemorative Gathering begins at sunset and includes remarks, a moment of silence and a musical tribute. Then, take part in the ritual ceremony known as The Burn.
Join in by placing cedar spheres directly into one of three fire pit monuments, symbolizing Letting Go, Transformation and New Beginnings. Each monument is seated within octagonal reflecting pools of water, representing the deep mind and the gentle and fluid aspects of transformative healing.
Experience 24-hour wellness programming inside City Hall’s Rotunda with meditation, movement and sound. Support from accredited mental health and grief counselling professionals and specialists from the community will be onsite inside the Rotunda to support residents who may need to talk to someone about their pandemic experiences, as well as difficult thoughts and feelings associated with COVID-19.
Schedule
March 11
6 p.m. Nathan Philips Square site opens
6:19 p.m. Commemorative Gathering at sunset, including Indigenous Welcome and Ancestral Acknowledgement, formal remarks and moment of silence
6:40 p.m. Special appearance by singer-songwriter Jully Black
6:55 p.m. The Burn begins with three participatory fire pit monuments in the Square
7 p.m. Remarks by The Burn artists Roger Mooking, Javid JAH and Wyandot Elder Catherine Tammaro
7 p.m. until midnight: Wellness programming of sound bowls, meditation and movement in the Water-Themed Integration Zone inside City Hall Rotunda
8 p.m. Participatory Movement Pattern No.1: “Shuffle Dance: Invocation to Mother Earth” led by Nichole Leveck
8:30 p.m. until midnight Audience participation in artwork
March 12
Midnight until 6:30 a.m. Audience participation in artwork
Midnight until 7 p.m. Wellness programming of sound bowls, meditation and movement in the Water-Themed Integration Zone inside City Hall Rotunda
6:30 a.m. Participatory Movement Pattern No.2: “Celestial Dance of Awakening and Restoration” led by Nichole Leveck
7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Audience participation in artwork
3 p.m. Participatory Movement Pattern No.3: “Round Dance of Connection and Friendship” led by Nichole Leveck with Isaiah Cada on Hand Drum and vocable
6 p.m. Closing sound bath ceremony inside City Hall Rotunda
6:45 p.m. Closing and The Burn ends
Roger Mooking is a globally recognized, Trinidadian born, Canadian raised talent that creates immersive experiences in the Arts. As an award-winning chef, recording artist, author and TV host he is inspired by his rich family heritage, love for people and travel.
Javid JAH is an interdisciplinary artist and designer inspired by the traditional origins of sacred geometry. His practice explores a variety of interventions, from graffiti art murals to sculptural installations, designing and fabricating work that is site-specific, spatial and symbolically aligned to cosmic archetypes.
Catherine Tammaro is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practise spans decades. She is a Wyandot Spotted Turtle Clan FaithKeeper and is active throughout Toronto and beyond, as Elder, mentor, teacher and advisor. An alumna of Ontario College of Art, Catherine has had a diverse career, multiple exhibits and installations, published works and presentations and continues her practise, as it pertains to our creativity, our spiritual lifeways and the sacred multiverse.
As a commemoration to the lives lost and affected by the pandemic, The Burn is a collective healing moment fuelled by the power of the people. Love only beyond this point.
– Roger Mooking
Funder
