Sketched Out: The Digitized Graffiti Series
Two documentary films examine Toronto’s largely undocumented dance culture landscape by paying homage to two historically innovative venues and the diverse communities they fostered.
Cover of “The Legend of 23 Hop”, 2023 Heritage Toronto Public History Award nominee. Cover design by Colm Hogan.
Cover of “Back to The Zone”, 2023 Heritage Toronto Public History Award nominee. Cover design by Colm Hogan.
Winner: People’s Choice Award
Project Lead: Colm Hogan
Date of Release: December 30, 2022
Sketched Out: The Digitized Graffiti Series is comprised of two documentary films released on December 30, 2022 via YouTube. This project examines Toronto’s largely undocumented dance culture landscape by paying homage to two historically innovative venues and the diverse communities they fostered.
This project seeks to preserve the legacy both spaces provided by illustrating their collective cultural and societal impact on the city of Toronto through a series of on camera interviews with eyewitnesses and participants alongside archival footage and recorded sound from those respective eras.
Back To The Zone is a 37-minute film on digital video which takes a look at the Twilight Zone nightclub, originally located at 185 Richmond street west. Over its nearly 10 year lifespan, beginning in 1981, the results on the city’s dance floor culture were palpable, from the sound system to its long list of celebrity Djs and live performers. The club’s popularity would lead to the eventual re-zoning of the Garment District into Toronto’s Entertainment District.
The Legend of 23 Hop is a 23-minute film on digital video that examines another unlicensed warehouse space originally located at 318 Richmond street west. Beginning in 1991, it was utilized by a micro-community of immigrant voices in order to import novel electronic dance culture. Like the Twilight Zone, 23 Hop would would transform the city, sparking a youth culture movement, placing it firmly on the world stage as a music culture destination but also critically providing refuge for its multi-cultural and sexually diverse clientele.
Additional Project Team Members
Mitch Winthrop: Music