SappyFest

SappyFest is an annual independent arts & music festival held in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada. Started by Paul Henderson, Jon Claytor and Julie Doiron in 2006 when we were naive babies and the world was young.

It was wonderful, terrible, magical, stressful, beautiful, inspiring and exhausting time. Jon was involved in co-running the festival with Paul Henderson from 2006 to 2013 and stayed involved in marketing and advising until 2016.

Long live the dream.

The Thunder & Lightning Years 2013-16

Jon Claytor, Paul Henderson and Lucas Hicks opened a bar with a bowling alley that was really more of a portal to another universe in 2013. Jon always considered it an art project. It was part David Lynch and part Cheers. Art, music, poetry, performance, a bowling alley, art studios and nice lighting made this more than a bar or performance space and something like an installation or state of mind.

In 2016 Glen Barrington and Anne Herteis bought the dream and kept it alive until 2020.

Easy Evolution

"Described as an exhibit of taxidermy in an old museum that has been overrun with vandals, Easy Evolution depicts animals as representation of our daily struggles and joys.” - Steven Loft, Curator

"Compositions incorporating graffiti, erosion, vandalism, wildlife and dancing bears are laid out over free-standing sculptural paintings occupying the gallery space. Influenced by a political perspective, the work conveys how action and desire can intersect and diverge when least expected."

The Smallest of Dreams

An exibit of watercolours at Ingrid Mueller Prokects.

Penny Cosmos

"Upon entering the cozy Parentheses Gallery your eye might first dart to the strange, textured sculptures of animal and human figures, particularly the beast that looks like it's ready to pounce, but its the paintings in Jon Claytor's Penny Cosmos that really pack a punch. Bold colours that pop off their dark backgrounds, sullen faces that stare deep and the sheer size of the works make this collection powerful. Simple but electric jagged-lined constellation-based works ("Skull Constellation," "Rabbit Constellation") find them selves among eery takes on portrait paintings. Using the analogy of a punk cover of a mainstream hit, Claytor revamped classic paintings by the likes of Velazquez, Van Dyck and Titian, with his own, familiar touch. Like the paintings they're based on, which radiate their own bizarre gothic gazes, Claytor's characters (all named after 80s songs) are creepy but, much like a punk cover, explore a clever and humorous side of the originals."

Source unknown but thank you !

Talking Exploding Diamond Talk Show

The Exploding Diamond Talk Show

Jon wrote and directed this wild vision of a 70’s talk show for SappyFest. The Diamond sang and exploded as promised. A Sasquatch wrestled a Cougar. BA Johnson and other guests bantered with Larry Snails (Michael Feuerstack) and so much more.

Portholes to the Mysterioverse

Documentation for an outdoor five week installation for Mondo Monde, a New Media + Festival in Sackville New Brunswick.

To find the portholes first you had to be given a business card with a phone number on it. After calling the number you would hear a message saying to ask Sarah not Al. Now, Sackville is a small town and with only a minimum of sluething anyone could discover that Sarah and Al are the proprietors of The Black Duck Cafe. So if you went to the cafe and asked them about the portholes you would get two answers. Al would tell you the Portholes are just rumours, made up by an artistic asshole. If you ask Sarah she will point you in the right direction to actually discover the portholes. But they are still hard to find, under a rock, under bushes and in a field but with each sensors activate a sound, lights or motors to help the audience discover the mysterious portholes. The motion activated element gets the attention of the viewer and directs them to discover the porthole. As they clear off the dust and peer through the lens they see; an eye looking back, or a planet exploding or a young man playing an organ.

Night Clearing (Into the Pines)

A 24 hour exhibit of sorts in a clearing in a wooded area, within view of the Bay of Fundy, in Slacks Cove, New Brunswick. It was presented as part of the program for SappFest X. The audience was given the location and encouraged to go on an adventure. First driving along the bay, from Sackville to Rockport, to the point where the road turns to gravel, then dirt and then ends all together. Here a 5 minute walk along a newly worn path led to a clearing. As it got dark, a campfire illuminated a series of large paintings of bears, rabbits, snakes and people. The adventurers walked around, were warmed buy the fire and took in the surreal spectacle.

Thank you to the The New Brunswick Arts Board for its support of this project.

SuperEvolved/SuperController

A simple video game that recalls that moment you first experienced the magic of a video game whether it was Pong or Grand Theft Auto.

This Town is Out of Control

In 2007 Jon invited the singing saw orchestra and trapeze artist Poison D’Avril to perform together at SappyFest as the surprise destination of an ad hoc parade.

Video below by Kip Jackson, Thanks Kip!

Holy Fuck Midnight Roller Smackdown

Probably the most chaotic event Jon ever put together for SappyFest. An Iconic Canadian band, Holy Fuck!, roller derby mayhem and Wrestling. All at once, all unexpected by design.

The Animals & Other Films/Videos

The Animals

The Animals (2012) is a 25 minute film, shot with video and 8mm film. The Animals tells a story of repetition and regeneration; human and animal characters traverse and explore a landscape in a world without houses and technology, looking for a sense of contentment and purpose.

Mystery Island

Footage from a video installation shown at The Wish You Were Here Residency at Thunder & Lightning 2016. All the footage is taken from my rather average Instagram account and transformed into Mysterious Island.