Every so often on a Friday night, the Vancouver Art Gallery lights up until midnight to host FUSE, a multidisciplinary art extravaganza. If you are a cool kid from Emily Carr, you are probably already there. If you are a sixty year old art collector who used to love dancing around fires topless, then you’ve been touting this night to your kids for years. If you are new to Vancouver and looking for something truly special and amazing to do – tap this shit. AGO – take note, this is a mega-cool way to engage young art enthusiasts….and old alike, but it especially feels programmed for the culture vulture twenty-something.)

We don’t know when the next FUSE will be, they are still in the planning stages, but we can tell you how the last one shook down. Montreal performance artists 2boys.tv lead gallery goers on a blind congo line, Belgian artist and pyrotechnician – Gwendoline Robin blew up her shoes and nonchalantly walked through blazing flames, in the ornate mezzanine – audiences could gaze down at Thrill the World Vancouver as they performed (with extreme likeness) MJ’s Thriller, UBC Girlz Bhangra Team heightened the mood with their lively dance and before you went to compare and contrast Jack Shadbolt vs. Emily Carr – you could opt to get a disgusting bloody scar or open wound on your face by a Blanche Macdonald Centre make-up artist. Fun!

Usually we go to art galleries quietly, midday – FUSE revs up the experience and has one looking at an 19th century painting of Buffalos in a completely different way – because while all this FUSE specific curated stuff is happening, you can still wander throughout the gallery to check out Scott McFarland’s manicured landscapes or some massive baby blue balls.

FUSE certainly makes for a magnificent date or a terrific enlightening alternative to the usual boozy Friday. Beyond the million dollar art – check the hot hair and styles of attendees.

To keep on top of when the next FUSE will be, join the facebook group.

Photo Credit – Kyla Bailey www.kylabaileyphoto.com