Immersive DJ shows are now happening at Ottawa's public pools, with Debaser, a non-profit underground-arts organization, making a habit of showcasing music events in unconventional spaces.
I was bobbing like a cork in one of Ottawa's oldest swimming pools when someone declared that being in the water with music playing was just like aquafit. "More like aquaFUN," I replied, no offence to my mother and her crew of Barrhaven octogenarians who spend an hour in the pool exercising to an oldies soundtrack almost every morning.
But, this was an evening downtown, and instead of following the orders of an instructor, I was one of dozens swim-grooving to the electro beat of a DJ spinning tunes from the second-floor mezzanine at the historic Champagne Fitness Centre on King Edward Avenue. The event featured a headlining set by the Toronto-based artist Eejungmi (aka DJ Katie Lee), with an opening round by Gatineau DJ/musician Yolande Laroche.
It was organized by Debaser, a non-profit, underground-arts organization founded more than a decade ago and still led by Ottawa's Rachel Weldon. Their mission? "We enjoy doing events in unconventional spaces and feeling inspired by how sound would fill different types of spaces, and how artists can interact with it," Weldon said. Churches and art galleries are some of their favourite spots.
Debaser's Vision and Events
The indie-arts producer and her Debaser teammates (Maeve Tavakoli and Katie Manners) are best known as the driving force behind Pique, a quarterly showcase of underground music and art that takes over every corner of the Ottawa Art Gallery, Arts Court and the rest of the downtown arts hub at Nicholas and Daly. Born during the pandemic, Pique has blossomed into a joyously diverse, multi-stage festival that starts early and runs late. The fifth-anniversary edition happens June 13.
When she's not curating shows, Weldon swims at Champagne Bath and loves it, despite the cramped change rooms and cool water temps of the old pool. On the day of the DJ show, her 'fit of long shorts over a one-piece was accessorized by an amazing pair of realistic-looking fish flip-flops.
Historic Venue and Art
"I was immediately really excited and inspired by the space," Weldon said of her first impression of the pool, "because it's an old art-deco building, and the architecture is really interesting and beautiful. There's also this amazing mural on the wall."
Completed in 1924, Champagne Bath was one of the first two indoor swimming pools in Ottawa. The other was the Plant Bath, constructed the same year, on Somerset Street. In the aftermath of the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, and before the advent of indoor plumbing, city officials believed public baths would go a long way toward improving the health and hygiene of working-class residents. They were named after two mayors of the era, Frank Plant and Napoleon Champagne.
As for the mural, the remarkable work was designed and installed by two local artists, Mimi Cabri and Jill Elder, during a renovation in the late 80s. Titled Swimming at Champagne, the colourful tiles depict turn-of-the-century figures in vintage bathing costumes, lending a sense of whimsy and history to the space.
In contrast to the full coverage of those vintage garments, the swimsuits worn to the event displayed plenty of skin, not to mention an abundance of tattoos on both men and women. The mayors of the past, who forbade the sexes from swimming together, would have been scandalized. Today, no one blinks an eye.
