Public Sweat Mobile Sweat sauna interior. Video artist Stein Henningsen. Photo: Priam Thomas.

Public Sweat

Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
March 15 – April 23, 2023

Art. Heat. Community.

Art + Sweat: Get ready for the heat at Public Sweat. The creative team behind Art Spin embarks on its latest iteration of innovative art in alternative spaces as it introduces Public Sweat, a participatory sweat bathing experience and platform for contemporary art. This unusual context for engaging with art invites visitors to immerse themselves in the shared values of sweat bathing practices around the world: community, connection and care.

Public Sweat will take place from March 15 to April 23, 2023, at Harbourfront Centre, Toronto. Visit the Public Sweat website to book a session and learn more. Early bird pricing is available for a limited time so book now!

Public Sweat is a unique fusion of art, sauna culture, and sweat bathing. Indoor and outdoor experiences will include lounge spaces, a cafe, a cold rinse, and a multidisciplinary range of contemporary art programming to be experienced while guests sweat in artist-designed sweat bathing structures. The structures will serve as both public artworks and inclusive public spaces where visitors are invited to leave their daily armour at the door, and share in a moment of self-care and community care. Participants will be invigorated by the heat, connections, and creativity upon which this event is built.

Public Sweat outdoor cold rinse station. Photo: Priam Thomas.

Introducing the Public Sweat Artists

Public Sweat artists were commissioned by Art Spin to design and build sweat bathing structures that function both as a standalone artwork, and as a usable hot space. Artists were invited based on their relationship to sweat bathing and related themes in their past works, in addition to their experience in sculpture, architecture and social practice. Confirmed artists to date include Simone Jones, SHEEEP Studio, Christie Pearson, and Chris Foster, with more to be announced.

Abandoned Splendour by Simone Jones brings together her passion for film history, video, sculpture and electronics, with an interest in the nature of perception to create a cinematic sauna experience in a form inspired by Victorian-era industrial wood burners. “My sauna, Abandoned Splendor, positions these former industrial giants as spaces of contemplation, loss and wonder,” says Jones, whose design will be enhanced through an intimate soundscape by collaborating artist Mitchell Akiyama.

Garmabeh by SHEEEP references ancient Iranian bath houses that were an important social setting for centuries prior to the introduction of piped water. Garmabeh creates a structure of intricate geometries and materials to make a space that speaks to traditional Iranian medicine’s four main temperaments; hot, cold, dry and wet. SHEEEP is an experimental studio by Reza Nik and Connor Stevens, working at the intersection of community, culture and architecture.

Geospheric Sweatbath by Christie Pearson connects bathing, utopian communities, and the DIY spirit. Pearson, an artist and architect, is the author of Architecture of Bathing: Body, Landscape, Art (MIT Press 2020) and her extensive world travels in pursuit of diverse bathing practices has led to her design that pairs architectural geometry with rich natural materials.

Mobile Sweat by Chris Foster has combined his interest in the social possibilities connected to sauna culture along with his experience building saunas to convert a used utility trailer into both a sauna and a vessel for other layers of arts programming. Foster’s nomadic wood-fired mobile sauna design includes an embedded video screen and sound system to allow for further artistic interventions and collaborations.

Since September 2022 Art Spin has presented Foster’s nomadic sauna across the GTA and Southern Ontario, as a part of the Mobile Sweat program featuring a series of sound and video art presented in collaboration with different partnering organizations.

Public Sweat Mobile Sweat sauna interior. Photo: Vuk Dragojevic.

Single ticket prices to Public Sweat range from $20-35 with options to purchase 4-Pass tickets for multiple visits (limited quantities). Early Bird pricing on single tickets is available (limited quantities and while supplies last). Ticket prices include all applicable fees and taxes.

Public Sweat Dates: March 15 – April 23, 2023
Hours: Timed entries starting between, 4pm to 9pm (Tuesday-Thursday), 1:30pm to 9pm (Fridays), 11am to 9pm (Saturday & Sunday)
Location: North East Grounds of Harbourfront Centre, 225 Queens Quay W. Toronto, ON M5J 2Y6
Accessibility: The general Public Sweat area, both the indoor lounge and outdoor area are at ground level with no stairs, however some saunas will have steps and barriers to entry. Indoor washrooms are partially accessible. Access details will be updated as information becomes available.

To find our more about Public Sweat and to book your ticket, visit publicsweat.com

Contact: info@publicsweat.com

Follow Public Sweat on Socials:
Instagram: @public.sweat
Facebook: @publicsweat
Twitter: @publicsweat
#PublicSweat

The venue partner for Public Sweat is Harbourfront Centre. Public Sweat receives funding support from: The Government of Ontario; the Canada Council for the Arts; the Government of Canada; the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport; the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council; and the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario; and Waterfront Toronto.