The Bentway’s Production Manager, Stephanie Dudek, met with her lead producers, Ben Freedman and Jeremy Forsyth, to recall the thrills and complexities of managing 8,000 concrete blocks, 300 volunteers, and a sculpture over 2.5km in length!
Steph (SD): I’ve managed the production team for six years and was thrilled to bring you on as producers. Can you briefly describe your career paths that led you to The Bentway?
Jeremy (JF): I’ve spent the last 10 years working for several Toronto non-profits. In 2017, I joined The Bentway team to help launch the skate trail, after having worked with your previousl.
My first arts job and introduction to the city was as a volunteer manager at TIFF. Meeting passionate volunteers has always inspired me, so managing volunteers for Dominoes was rewarding and felt like a truly full-circle experience.
Ben (BF): I’m a practicing artist, but found my way into arts organizations working in project management roles. I’ve always been drawn to opportunities where I could directly communicate with audiences in public spaces and break down the gallery walls that sometimes can feel impenetrable between contemporary art and the public.
A few years ago, I was working at the CONTACT Photography Festival and was introduced to The Bentway through a collaboration on Forest of Canoes, by Dana Klaxton. After a brief hiatus to pursue my master’s degree in Switzerland, I joined the team in 2023.
SD: Public art projects at The Bentway often involve creative risk-taking, and diverse backgrounds enable us to pull off ambitious, envelope-pushing projects like Dominoes. What elements of Dominoes did each of you lead?
JF: I worked to recruit, train, deploy, and celebrate all the volunteers on this project.
BF: And I worked on all things block-related, sourcing and deploying the 8,000 individual concrete blocks along the route. We all wore so many hats, though, and tackled assignments as logistical challenges arose.
SD: Yes, organizing logistics for Dominoes was a massive undertaking. It involved sourcing rare materials, shipping across boarders, calculating quantities, staging, distribution, and so much more. It was a huge effort!
The materiality of the blocks was fascinating. Can you share more about where they came from and what they were made of? And how did this help on the day of the event?
BF: Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) is a lightweight, buoyant concrete made by baking in glass to form air bubbles. Widely used in the UK, AAC is rare in North America, so we explored alternatives, such as stone, recycled plastics, and mycelium plays a significant role in building a knowledge base that can be applied to est for sound, weight, and buoyancy. Our role as producers is to do this research, balancing artistic vision, logistics, and environmental impact, to ensure we select the right material for the project. Experimentation is a big part of building a knowledge base that can then be applied to future projects.
SD: Totally, and we were really proud to create a sustainable afterlife for the blocks. Where did they end up, and how were you able to find a home for them?
BF: We went through a number of different afterlife scenarios, where we had found homes for them, but then people had to back out, so we kept searching. Finally, though our friends at Viking Recycling, we managed to find someone in Quebec who wanted them on their farm.
SD: Dominoes was a true act of co-creation, with volunteers at the heart of the project. Do you have any special memories or volunteer moments?
JF: This was one of those beautifully co-created Bentway projects; nearly all of our volunteers lived nearby. This was by the neighbourhood, for the neighbourhood. We decided to call each person individually and take the time to talk to them, which helped us build relationships and hear their stories. When you talk to these incredible people you get to be excited about the project, and then you hear that excitement reflected back. It’s always a great reminder of why we’re doing what we’re doing.
SD: After months of planning, we had a brief window to finalize everything. How did you feel as the moment drew closer, and where were you during the “big fall”?
JF: I was at Staging Grounds, and I remember as the blocks fell past me, a huge crowd also surged towards me. There was this incredible enthusiasm to follow along that we had to manage, and gratefully, everyone responded positively and agreed to look out for one another, so we could all enjoy the moment.
BF: I was running up Bathurst bridge with the last pallet of blocks because “the fall” had already started, and there was a gap in the line! With three of us hauling a heavy pallet, we just made it in time. After that, there was a huge sense of relief that it had all come together, and I’m so grateful to our all-star build team for their boundless energy and dedication.
SD: Why do you think this project resonated with so many people?
BF: Although it was incredibly complicated logistically, Dominoes as a project is such a simple idea, but it was so effective in connecting with its audiences. It’s about the effect of one thing impacting another, and how we create personal relationships that together build something bigger. It was a heartfelt, playful way to bring the community together to develop personal connections, meet our neighbours where they are at, and be a part of their lives.
JF: The energy was incredible. I’ve never encountered walk-up volunteers before, but we had 7 or 8 people who just saw what was going on and wanted to help. We had a family visiting Toronto from China, who all jumped on board. It was amazing to see how easily people connected to the work.
SD: I’d want to shout-out to everyone who helped make this happen, including out stellar build assistants and vendors. Huge congratulations as wel to our Programming team, who saw the vision for this project, and knew it embodied the Bentway mission of connection. As producers, our team is often so focused on the nuts and bolts, the checklists and spreadsheets and schedules. This project taught me that you have to get out of the weeds and put your head in the clouds a little.
