Archives Access: Pascal, One Night Only

Description:

Archives Access: Pascal, One Night Only, was a lecture and screening focused on the life and work of trans performer Pascal.

Pascal was a classically trained singer known for her gender non-conforming “showgirl” persona. In the early 1970s, she appeared as a key contributor to projects by the Toronto-based collective General Idea, leading her to collaborate with Western Front’s core members and other artists associated with the “Eternal Network.”

On February 27, 1974, Pascal performed a vocal recital of jazz standards in the Grand Luxe Hall with accompaniment by Hank Bull on piano. While audio, video, and textual records document a limited period of Pascal’s artistic career, not much is known about the performer following this concert. In scholarship, Pascal is mentioned merely as an aside—a peripheral figure within the narrative of Canadian queer art history.

Presented on the fiftieth anniversary of Pascal’s last performance at Western Front, this iteration of Archives Access featured a lecture by Michael Dang interspersed with archival excerpts of Pascal; shining a spotlight on an enigmatic queer artist who had a brief but impactful sojourn in the Canadian contemporary art world.

Pre-show materials included a slideshow of images courtesy of the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, AA Bronson, and Glenn Lewis, alongside audio from Pascal’s 1974 concert in the Grand Luxe Hall. 

Dang’s lecture was organized into three sections, each providing an introduction to Pascal through research into the socio-political context of Toronto in the 1960s and 1970s, key performances including Art’s Birthday and the Hollywood Decca Dance (1974), and first-hand accounts of the performer through interviews with former collaborators. To close the evening, Dang invited Hank Bull to the podium to reflect on his relationship with Pascal as a friend and musical partner.  

Screening materials included excerpts from Art’s Stars Interviews (1974) by Chip Lord, Willoughby Sharp, and Megan Williams; The Decca Dance (1974) by Kerry Colonna; and excerpts from Pascal and Hank Bull’s 1974 concert. 

Curated by Michael Dang. 

Video documentation is available upon request.