On Thursday eve, the city’s see-and-be-seen set traipsed down to the waterfront to attend one of the year’s hottest tickets: the Power Ball, in support of The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. This year, the event had a Pleasure Principle theme, which basically called on guests to dress and act in ways that gave them pleasure. For most, this meant getting gussied up in wild outfits and sipping on fancy libations. One guest remarked that sweatpants give her the most pleasure, however none were spotted.
To start the evening off, folks were handed mini bottles of Henkell Trocken with striped straws for easy sipping (those bubbles sure came up fast). New York-based artist Ryan McNamara was the special guest; his production saw a room laced with colourful strings. There, mobs of leotard-clad artists would burst onto the scene at intervals. One moment saw them decorate a white cake in a frenzy; in another they ran through the space chanting the colour of their outfit (“Brown! Brown! Brown!”); in yet another they did trust falls, using guests as their impromptu mattresses.
Here in the VIP section, guests swilled spiffy cocktails courtesy of renowned mixologist Frankie Solarik of BarChef. Tree stumps and moss decorated the bar, where Frankie turned out modernist libations including Camomile Juleps — Bombay Sapphire gin-based tipples complete with elderflower snow, basil sprouts and, but of course, violet gel.
As the VIP portion came to an end, the party spilled over into the main digs, with each room overtaken by a different art installation. One region saw Canuck artist Laura Kikauka’s So You Think You Can Can Can!?! featuring a bevy of ladies outfitted in extravagant frocks with tiers of frills and feathers on their heads. Elsewhere, Karen Tam transformed a room into a veritable opium den, with party-goers lounging at low tables and a mock gong to boot.
Outside, partiers dug into Parts & Labour Catering’s servings of chicken and rice, with some lipstick-wearers throwing caution to the wind while chomping on meaty legs. A pile of pool toys was naturally Instagram fodder, much like the blow-up canopy lit into a rainbow with the CN Tower in the background.
Throughout the eve, Chicago house music pioneer DJ Mark Farina and DJs Teo Nio and CRSB kept guests dancing into the wee hours. Another year; another smash success.
