A whimsical, experiential and interactive installation by five OCAD University students and alumni provided hugs, photo-ops and more than a few laughs to the 35,000 concert-goers at the inaugural WayHome Art & Music festival on July 24 to 26.
The installation, called The Block Heads, consisted of nine quirky characters some three metres tall with floppy arms, hair, fur and scales. Faculty of Design students and alumni, Ashley Mauerhofer, Kristin Ryan, Maeve Wallace, Sarah Eldershaw and Zeynep Sen, won first place in a joint Faculty of Design and Faculty of Art competition for their concept, receiving a prize of $5,000 and a budget of $18,000 to build the installation.
Set in the farmlands of Ontario’s Oro-Medonte township, WayHome featured 72 bands and musicians, including Neil Young, St. Vincent, Future Islands and Alt-J, alongside 15 visual artists.
Organizers say the festival will return in 2016 from July 22 to 24.