Vol. 1: THE SHINING

Get Bobby Kimberley a projector and he can throw a better party than Skyy Vodka. When I arrive at 263 Adelaide, a 9-foot tall blue mermaid and two drop dead gorgeous club district types in short black dresses greet me. “I’m definitely not here for your party,” I tell them, nodding to their guest list. “If you’re here for The Shining screening, you’ll have to take the stairs,” one responds. The elevator works fine.

Walking into Suite 407, the studio rented out by Toronto photographer Andrew Williamson, the venue is exactly what I expected. Mismatched chairs, a ladder with a projector rested steadily on it and a chill, come-as-you-are vibe fills the air. I’m immediately welcomed by Bobby Kimberley and friends.

“Skyy Vodka is throwing a TIFF party,” Kimberley tells me. “We had no idea this was going on until tonight.” We stand at the high-ceilinged windows, looking down at the growing crowd, listening to their shitty house music boom, as Andrew sets up with Kimberley’s girlfriend and co-Summer Fling DJ Anna Wiesen. Friends filter in and out of the room, munching on popcorn that Anna has made, and drinking soda provided by Bobby. I ask him about what surprises he has in store for Friday’s The Shining themed party and he starts spilling details about a photo booth before Anna stops him, laughing as she says, “Don’t ruin the surprise!”

Adam Belanger

Kimberley is the owner/creative director/event-throwing mastermind behind Young Lions Music Club, a music and culture agency that is probably a familiar name if you read OTM regularly. He tells me that he has always wanted to do an event like this—a series of Kubrick-inspired parties—and it shows in his excitement over this pre-event screening of the film, the whole reason I’m at Suite 407 tonight.

I select my seat—an old, yellowing, floral armchair that reminds me of something from a horror film—and settle in for the night. As Kimberley’s friends and acquaintances get settled around me, the movie begins and we are soon fixed in a world of creepy twins, axe-yielding murderers and naked ladies in bathtubs.

“We decided to go forth with The Shining first because not only is it one of our favourites, it’s not exactly the easiest to pull off,” Bobby tells me. “The biggest challenge is to turn a freakish, introspective story into a generally good time.”

Bobby might be the brains behind tomorrow night’s party but he credits the musicians, artists, art director and actor he brought on for pulling off the feel of The Overlook Hotel, a mecca of palatial comfort drowned out by isolation. Art director Adam Belanger speaks to the challenges of recreating the feel of an abandoned resort in a back alley venue at College and Bathurst. “Although it would be fantastic to create an exact replica of The Overlook Hotel, it’s just not possible,” he says. “So the plan of attack is creating the vibe that the hotel gives. This is always best achieved with lighting.”

Counting on his background in theatre, Belanger will complete the look and feel of the hotel, and eradicate spatial challenges, by focusing on small details. “I thought of the maze and was like, ‘Could we do a maze?’ Then I thought of the tub with the woman and thought, ‘Can we get a tub up there?’ I thought of a river of blood, flowing from an elevator, carrying away furniture, and I realized I wasn’t sure how I’d approach this thing. In the end, I focused on design motifs. There are a lot of mazes in the film’s overall design. Everything has a complicated structure, from the rug patterns to the layout of the hotel; a lot of triangles and geometrics.”

Sarah Cannon

Essential to Belanger’s work will be the costuming for actor Nicolino De Francesco, who will spend his Friday night roaming Room 237, as the venue has been dubbed. Belanger is staying true to costume designer Milena Canonero’s palate for the film, which means a blue-collar look to outfit De Francesco as he channels Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance. De Francesco will recreate the presence of the cabin fever induced Torrance by avoiding partygoers altogether: “The only party that exists will be the one playing in my head,” he says. “That should keep me smiling. Jack always smiles.” And the most enjoyable part of his costume? “Bourbon. Jack enjoys bourbon and that’s all I will be enjoying.”

Maniacal interpretations take many forms, as performers Absolutely Free can attest. “Our music is a welcome accompaniment to a night of isolation and insanity,” they tell me through e-mail, following up with, “But our music will guide you to safety.”

Absolutely Free have been hand-picked by Bobby Kimberley to perform because of the dark milieu their music adds to the retro horror vibe of the venue. The band refuses, however, to divulge the Kubrickian nod that will be incorporated into their performance. “The bands were chosen because they help deliver the setting and vibe that we are aiming for,” Kimberley states, explaining his rationale for asking Toronto singer AL X to perform. “They are free to take artistic liberties in creating the scenario without necessarily sticking to a particular character or scene from the film.” AL X recognizes that she is the unintentional perfect fit for this type of event, adding “My performances have always tended to err on the darker side, though it’s not always intentional.”

Eric Wichman

AL X reasoning for participating in unique events like The Kubrick Collection has little to do with love for cinema or a good theme party. “It’s Bobby. He’s always been super open minded about alternative and creative shows and so have I. Bobby’s the man.”

All it takes is a quick chat with Bobby to realize he really is the man, not simply because of his efforts with Young Lions Music Club but because of his genuine excitement about attending the events himself. He can barely contain this excitement when I ask about how his team plans to pay homage to The Shining. Never a trace of hubris in his voice, he gives all the credit to the people around him who have pulled together his vision. “Look at this mural,” he says, showing me an iPhone photo of Nicholson’s iconic “Here’s Johnny!” face on the wall of the secret venue. “Sarah’s an amazing painter.” He raves about the uncanny ability of portrait artist Sarah Cannon, who has been commissioned to provide art work for the event along with animation and installation artist Eric Wichman. Her mural dissipates his usual laid-back vibe as the pace of his speech quickens just talking about the life-like quality of Cannon’s work.

“I’ve always been interested in capturing movement within a picture frame,” Cannon explains of her work. “That’s largely inspired by film and video.” She continues to say, “I certainly integrate similar themes when exploring the notions of the human condition. Jack is a raving lunatic, but we can all relate to his psyche on some level.” Her attention to detail is something that Wichman is also striving for in the audiovisual works he has created for the event.

Al x

“I focused on two themes from the film: one of spatial exploration and one of climax and confrontation. Kurbrick has all these great shots following his actors through the remote hotel and you really get a sense of scale as a result. I’ve taken clips and images from the film and combined them with complimentary animations and sequences, all of which will respond to sound during the event.”

This bodes well for Bobby because, where he is concerned, just because it’s all work, doesn’t mean there won’t be any play. He admits that while he wants it to be the jarring, slightly uncomfortable experience that Kubrick achieved on celluloid, the YLMC event is still a party paying tribute to The Shining after all. “We’ve selected bands and artists that can bring a party whilst being pretty off-kilter (and even uneasy at times). Hopefully, people will realize the novelty in being encouraged to dance and be merry within the context of a famous story about an insane lunatic,” he says, adding, “The line between work and play is blurred for me.”

With The Shining fresh in our minds and excitement for Friday’s party in the air, I end the evening out on Suite 407’s fire escape, watching the Skyy Vodka party from above. People stand around in uncomfortable shoes, awkwardly mingling amongst the groups they arrived with. No one is dancing, the music just keeps hammering out the same repetitive beat. There is no passion, no excitement, no art. “Yup,” I think to myself as I look down on the crowd. “Bobby Kimberley can do better than that.”

All photos by Anna Wiesen