Cold Comfort for a Hot World

Wind Up Radio, 2023 Artist-in-Residence

October 21, 2023 – February 4, 2024

The Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum is pleased to announce its 2023 Artist-in-Residence exhibition, featuring the work of collaborative duo Wind Up Radio, founded by Sarah Blumel and Anisa Cameron.

This multi-part exhibition explores how we cope in the face of an uncertain future, taking inspiration from Cold War preparedness that the Diefenbunker exemplifies. Using satirical music and video compositions that contribute to a long history of musical responses to nuclear war, Wind Up Radio invites us to consider an unlikely truth: that levity and laughter may be possible — perhaps even comforting — in moments of fear and helplessness.

From pandemics to nuclear war, world-scale risks seem to pour over our society daily. How do you cope with our uncertain future?

Original keyboard tunes and lyrics, juxtaposed with clips of civil defence films, offer a satirical view of government directives aimed at citizens preparing for the possibility of a nuclear war. Exhibited throughout the Diefenbunker, these musical compositions embody the spirit of “gettin’ funky in the bunky” — where “funky” can refer to music with a strong dance rhythm AND to a feeling of being terrified.

What better place to experience, simultaneously, a sense of unease and of safety — or “cold comfort” — than the Diefenbunker? It was built during the height of the Cold War as part of a complex government response to the threat of nuclear war. You’ll face terrifying truths as you journey through the exhibition, but you may find yourself humming along to Wind Up Radio tunes as you go.

Cold Comfort for a Hot World opens on Saturday, October 21, 2023, and runs until Sunday, February 4, 2024. Admission to the exhibition is included with general admission to the Diefenbunker (both guided and self-guided tours).

Wind Up Radio extends special thanks to Sean Campbell and the whole team at the Diefenbunker, Ontario Arts Council, DARC, Laura Paolini, Skylee Storm Hogan-Stacey, Ben Hoskyn, Ian Cameron, Charlie Blumel, Samuel Singer, Bernard von Schulmann, Samuel Mercier, Mahtab and Adrien for the Casio keyboard, the Côte Saint-Luc Dramatic Society, and Joy and Eric.

Featured works

Learn more about the historical clips and inspiration for each of these original compositions included in the exhibition.

“Joy and Eric/90 Seconds ’til Doom”
Wind Up Radio
Sound and Video

[Learn more]

“Funky in the Bunky”
Wind Up Radio
Sound and Video

[Learn more]

“Just Leave Me Here”
Wind Up Radio
Sound and Video

[Learn more]

Interview with the Artists

About Wind Up Radio

Wind Up Radio creates original music and videos about the things that scare them the most: fire, flood, drought, famine, sentient AI, the breakdown of civilization, aliens, the rich abandoning the Earth for Mars; the future. Oh and also, it’s a good time.

Wind Up Radio was founded by Sarah Blumel and Anisa Cameron. Anisa is a Montréal-based theatre practitioner and real showstopper who is feeling like her “Live, Laugh, Love” days may be numbered thanks to the threat of global economic and environmental collapse. Sarah is a queer, multimedia artist who makes music and video art to quiet the ring of impending doom.

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Wind Up Radio selected as Diefenbunker’s 2023 Artist-in-Residence

Ottawa, Ontario, April 26, 2023 — The Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum is pleased to announce Wind Up Radio as its 2023 Artist-in-Residence. Through video and original music, this collaborative duo will explore what it means to be prepared in the face of an uncertain future, taking inspiration from Cold War preparedness that the Diefenbunker exemplifies.

The Diefenbunker’s annual Artist-in-Residence exhibitions bring new perspectives on Cold War stories, 75 feet underground in the Bank of Canada Vault. “It is a pleasure to welcome Wind Up Radio underground as this year’s Artist-in-Residence,” says Diefenbunker Curator Sean Campbell. “The Diefenbunker is a living example of the Canadian government’s immense efforts to safeguard the future of our country under threat of a nuclear attack. Wind Up Radio is providing an opportunity for visitors to understand, through a new medium, Canada’s preparedness during the Cold War.”

With the help of a Casio keyboard and the Internet, Wind Up Radio mixes terrifying truths about our collective future with a really good time. Inspired by sounds, images, artifacts, and archival material from the Diefenbunker, they will produce an installation of stitched video footage and original satirical songs to envision what comes next for humanity. “We could not be more excited to work with the Diefenbunker team to uncover treasures from the past that make us consider our future in new ways,” says Wind Up Radio. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to explore what it means to be ready to face climate change and global economic collapse, by taking a close look at what people did to prepare during the Cold War.”

Wind Up Radio’s diverse experience in theatre, visual arts, music, community organizing, and education have taught them how to connect with the public on ideas that matter. “Art and music provide an emotional gateway to complex problems, and whether you’re packing your go-bag to escape, or running a duck-and-cover drill, nothing is more comforting than humming a little tune.” Wind Up Radio brings a sense of levity to their work, using surprise and delight to help us learn new things. Their installation will seek to engage with visitors on important questions around the uncertainties we face ahead, while addressing the significance of joy for our survival and the role of technology in helping us stay connected and informed during times of crisis.

Wind Up Radio invites us to reflect on Canada’s preparedness during the Cold War as we consider how we might adapt to our changing planet. “While the Cold War is in the past, so many lessons remain relevant today,” says Sean Campbell. “Wind Up Radio takes a creative spin on preparing for the unsettling realities of our ever-uncertain future. We look forward to learning new insights from their work.”

This innovative exploration of Cold War themes will come to life at the Diefenbunker over the course of the year. The final installation will open to visitors in the fall of 2023 as part of the Diefenbunker’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

View the full press release (English & French).

Justin Case: The Enemy Within

Christos Pantieras, 2022 Artist-in-Residence

October 14, 2022 – February 15, 2023 *EXTENDED* to March 3, 2023

The Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum is pleased to launch its 2022 Artist-in-Residence exhibition, featuring the work of Ottawa-based artist Christos Pantieras.

Through a multi-layered installation and a series of reinvented propaganda posters, this exhibition explores the LGBT Purge and the resulting personal struggles of those in the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Pantieras addresses the hidden and “underground” nature of homosexuality in Canada over a period that began in the 1950s during the Cold War and continued up until the mid-1990s.

Who is Justin Case and what is his truth? Civil Defence Canada’s comic fictional character Justin Case, originally a mascot to promote preparedness and safety, takes on a new life under cover.

Reimagined as a decorated RCMP Investigator, he is tasked with seeking out and dismissing queer people within Canada’s civil service and Armed Forces. The truth? Justin Case is a closeted gay man who turns double agent to secretly destroy evidence against fellow queers.

Can he save his comrades and keep his own secret?

Justin Case: The Enemy Within opens on Friday, October 14, 2022, and runs until Friday, March 3, 2023. Admission to the exhibition is included with general admission to the Diefenbunker (both guided and self-guided tours).

The LGBT Purge

What if you were deemed a security risk for simply being who you are?

This was the reality for thousands of Canadians who were subjected to what became known as the “LGBT Purge.”

Beginning in the 1950s, during the Cold War, and continuing up until the mid-1990s, Canadian civil servants, RCMP employees, and Canadian Armed Forces personnel who were perceived or discovered to be 2SLGBTQ+ faced systematic discrimination. They were secretly investigated, questioned, and then dismissed because of their sexual orientation, which was considered a “character weakness.”

These traumatic acts continue to impact lives today. Learn more about the LGBT Purge and present-day reconciliation efforts through the LGBT Purge Fund.

Special events

Join us for an Artist Walkthrough!

Meet with artist Christos Pantieras in the Bank of Canada Vault at the Diefenbunker to learn more about the exhibition.

Saturday, November 12, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 11, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 11, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Special appearances by Justin Case!

Witness Justin Case working in his office as he processes cases in his role as an RCMP Investigator during the LGBT Purge.

Saturday, January 28, 2023, at 1:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 1:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 11, 2023 at 1:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 26, 2023 at 1:00 p.m.

Stay tuned for updates on future events on our social media.

Akìmazinàzowin | An Image of the Land

November 6, 2021 – January 31, 2022  *EXTENDED* to February 27, 2022

Mairi Brascoupé, 2021 Artist-in-Residence

The Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum is pleased to launch its 2021 Artist-in-Residence exhibition, featuring the work of Algonquin artist Mairi Brascoupé.

Akìmazinàzowin | An Image of the Land invites us to hear compelling stories of the land and witness history through another lens.

Integrating beadwork into a map of the region as it exists today, the artist invites us to explore our understanding of place during times of change and uncertainty, and to look at how values may differ, specifically for Indigenous peoples. How can we strive for a future that brings our different perspectives into alignment?

Akìmazinàzowin | An Image of the Land opens on Saturday, November 6, 2021. Admission to the exhibition is included with general admission to the Diefenbunker (both guided and self-guided tours).

Making Akìmazinàzowin

Watch Mairi share her creation process for her beautiful beadwork — important waterways, pathways, animals, and plants beaded onto a 12-foot by 5-foot canvas map of the Ottawa region as we know it today. Her work invites us to witness Cold War history through an Indigenous lens.

Interview with the Artist

Listen to Mairi discuss the inspiration and meaning behind her work — a beaded canvas map of Algonquin territory. She reflects on her research, artistry, and the residency, and shares some of the key concepts and traditional knowledge that are integrated into her piece.

The Diefenbunker announces Mairi Brascoupé as its 2021 Artist-in-Residence

Ottawa, ON (June 21, 2021): The Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum is thrilled to announce Algonquin artist, Mairi Brascoupé, a member of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, as its Artist-in-Residence for 2021. Mairi hopes to explore our understanding of place during times of change and uncertainty and how values differ, specifically for Indigenous people, through mapping and remapping during Canada’s Cold War history. Mairi will conduct research on the maps created during the Cold War and the maps that exist in the Diefenbunker. She will focus on mapping waterways and traplines in contrast with fallout zones, evacuation plans, and Military Town Plans. By integrating these maps with beadwork, Mairi says these new maps will “move across time and space, from what was, is, and could be.” The aim of this discussion will be “how our values connect and collide” and “how we can strive for a future that brings these perspectives into alignment.”

“We’re keenly interested in what Mairi has to bring to the Diefenbunker,” says Sean Campbell, the museum’s Visitor Experience Manager. “Her unique perspective will invite a lot of conversation on topics that are not often brought up with regard to Cold War history.”

Mairi Brascoupé sees “preservation in the Diefenbunker” as a focus for the residency: “I am inspired by the desire to preserve life, culture, and society that can be seen throughout the Diefenbunker. This is something that I aim to do in my own artistic practice by engaging in traditional Indigenous craft and stories, so that our culture is preserved for generations to come.”

In particular, Mairi will examine how storytelling can cross different media, and how the perspective of the story changes with these crossings. “I am particularly fascinated by all the different maps around the Bunker and how they all serve a purpose to educate, prepare, and preserve important information of the time they were created. Beadwork is used as a way to tell stories and preserve a moment in history. By bringing an Indigenous lens to maps, placekeeping, and placemaking through beadwork and historical maps, I hope to reframe how we look at the land, ownership, and responsibility.”

We are very excited to see what she will create, inspired by our recent past, present, and future. Stay tuned for updates about Mairi Brascoupé’s residency.

View the full Press Release (English & French).

CONTAINMENT: KNIT YOUR ^.--.ART

GRETA GRIP, 2020 ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE @DIEFENBUNKER

October 15, 2020 until March 7, 2021

VIRTUAL VERNISSAGE VIDEO RELEASE

Videos from the October 15 Q&A with the artist, Greta Grip, and our Visitor Experience Manager, Courtney Gehling. (Also an Instagram LIVE FEED).

PART ONE

PART TWO

It was the cold and concrete spaces of the Diefenbunker that inspired 2020 Artist-in-Residence Greta Grip to bring the warmth of knitting to its walls. This underground bunker, commissioned amid the anxiety and uncertainty of the Cold War years, was built to protect, preserve, and nurture the few who would carry on for the greater good in the event of a nuclear attack. Grip parallels the purpose and procedures of the Diefenbunker with those of knitting — something individuals do to contribute to wartime efforts and social causes, or to build community in difficult times. Both the bunker and the knitted items provide protection and comfort.

Code is essential to the Diefenbunker (an operational communications centre) and to the act of knitting: both use code to create, embed, decipher, and communicate covert messages. Like the dots and dashes of Morse code and the 0s and 1s that symbolize binary code used in digital computers, knitting relies on two basic states: knit stitch and purl stitch. Grip’s work, which ranges from code messages, icons, and QR codes, all created by hand or using a hacked knitting machine, shows us how knitting itself weaves in and out of what can be read and what is hidden.

This residency took place from January to September 2020, while much of the world sheltered in place, struggling to cope with and understand the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Largely influenced by the realities of this period, Grip’s work reflects on themes of containment, protection, health and safety, public messaging, community, and contribution, which are as evident today as they were during the Cold War.

Knitting as Espionage: The Diefenbunker announces Greta Grip as its 2020 Artist-in-Residence

The Diefenbunker, Canada’s Cold War Museum is thrilled to announce artist, Greta Grip, as its Artist-in-Residence for 2020. Greta Grip is fascinated with code. From reading coded knitting patterns to knitting acronyms and QR codes, to hacking a knitting machine; knitting itself weaves in and out of what can be read and what is hidden. The history of espionage has knitting hidden as a facilitator of secrets. Her residency at the Diefenbunker will include researching, deciphering, and creating knitting as code.

“We’re really looking forward to welcoming Greta underground once we reopen,” says Courtney Gehling, the Diefenbunker’s Visitor Experience Manager. “Her incredible artwork and the theme of knitting as code make her the perfect fit for the museum.”

Greta Grip explains her inspiration, “The cold and sterile space at the Diefenbunker has inspired me to bring the warmth of knitting to its walls. The bunker having its origins in uncertain times: to protect, to keep safe, to rebuild is similar to the act of knitting which is often nurturing, providing shelter as well as creating a sense of community but also it is often an isolating act. Both the Diefenbunker and knitting are both entrenched with codes: deciphering, hiding and creating, of which I will be expanding on during the residency.”

While the current COVID pandemic has shifted Greta’s focus to creating for an important cause, our frontlines, we have been thinking of different ways to bring her residency to life in the future. She says, “I am interested to exhibit in the Bank of Canada Vault, as it was built to safeguard Canada’s gold standard in order to rebuild the country after nuclear attack. Fitting for today’s climate, we are not under nuclear attack but we are faced with rebuilding the country.”

We are very excited to see what she will create, inspired by our recent past, present, and future. Stay tuned for updates about Greta Grip’s residency.

View and download the Press Release here (pdf).

Disasters for Little Children, an exhibition by the Museum’s 2019 Artist-in-Residence, Carol Wainio.

In this exhibition, artist-in-residence Carol Wainio uses fairy tales to explore current and past fears. Even the most beloved children’s stories are full of calamity and insecurity. Only sometimes does being clever and prepared to win the day.

Wainio created Disasters for Little Children specifically for the Diefenbunker. The bunker’s construction and design prompted memories of the Tale of the Tortoise and the Hare. Above ground, the protective building reminded her of a turtle’s shell. The underground level, with its hallways and small rooms, seemed like a rabbit’s warren.

Wainio researched Cold War emergency preparedness materials while creating these artworks and discovered Bertie the Turtle, a cartoon character who advised children to “duck and cover” in a nuclear attack – an impossibly naive protection. In contrast, the concrete and steel Diefenbunker would have housed top decision-makers so they could plan for a post-war future. Despite this protection, there were no families here, no next generation of humanity. Deep underground during a nuclear winter, children’s tales of forests and animals would have seemed very far away and long ago.

During the Cold War, nations competed to develop weapons of mass destruction. As in the arms race, the fabled Hare and Tortoise sped toward an uncertain end. Today, we move closer to the slower catastrophe of climate change. Through paint, photography, illustrations, and children’s drawings, Wainio reveals a not-so-fairy-tale world of opposites: then/now, fast/slow, arrogance/persistence, and destruction/survival.

2019 Announcement

Ottawa-based multi-award winning artist, Carol Wainio, selected as Diefenbunker Museum’s 6th Artist in Residence. It is our privilege to announce that Carol Wainio has been selected as our 2019 Artist-in-Residence.Carol’s work draws together diverse references to investigate and re-stage older visual narratives of transformation and desire, scarcity and excess, often, though not exclusively, drawn from early European fairy tale.

“My work has explored various forms of vernacular and popular imagery in the context of history and narrative, including archival research in historical fairy tale illustration. Fairy tale characters and narratives were also used in the 19th century to sell products and in popular political commentary and imagery. Some of these pre-modern tales seem increasingly relevant as metaphors for migration, certain political issues, or in the context of post Cold War, contemporary forms of possible catastrophe (environmental, economic).”

Carol is currently a professor at The University of Ottawa in the Visual Arts Department. She has been featured in galleries across Canada and the world. Her work has been shown at the the National Gallery of Canada, the Glenbow Museum, Musées des beaux arts de montréal, and the Art Gallery of Ontario, as well as several international galleries.

“I plan to explore the cultural aspect of cold war fears in terms of their expression whether through posters, popular imagery, and other artifacts, with a view to finding whether there were similar echoes or uses of fairy tale or cautionary tale.”

September 20 to November 30, 2018
The Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum presents Now You See Me, an exhibition by the Museum’s 2018 Artist-in-Residence, Annette Hegel.

Ottawa-based multimedia artist, Annette Hegel, selected as Diefenbunker Museum’s 5th Artist in Residence The Diefenbunker Museum is delighted to announce the results of its Artist in Residence for 2018. Annette Hegel, a multi-media artist who has exhibited her work in Canada and Europe, was selected from several applications from both national and international artists. “We’re really looking forward to having Annette at the Museum,” said Nic Clarke, the Diefenbunker’s Curatorial Manager. “Both her work and as well as her experiences growing up on the frontlines of the Cold War, make her an amazing fit for the Diefenbunker.” “It is a great honour, to be selected and join the ranks of artists in residence at the Diefenbunker,” says Hegel. “For me, particularly, as a politically engaged artist, research and refelction at the Museum cannot come at more opportune time, considering the world-political climate of the last 24 months that should give a certain sense of déja-vu to those of us who have come of age during the Cold War.” Annette grew up in Cologne and Düsseldorf, West Germany and moved to Toronto in the early 1980s to study at the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD University) in the experimental arts department. She returned to West Germany in the mid-eighties and moved to West Berlin at a time of great cultural and political flux that eventually led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. She co-founded the artist collective that ran the “Weiße Gallerie” (White Gallery), a group of artists that made it their focus to comment on the plethora of political and social issues of the decade that were amplified by the circumstances of Berlin’s role in German and World politics. Annette moved back to Canada in 1987 and is now based in Ottawa, where she was founding member of the Slipstream Collective in 2014. In addition to being a member of the Slipstream Collective, Annette has been a catalyst and facilitator of many community-based public art projects, particularly engaging children and youth. As well as her daily art practise, Annette is engaged in the ongoing collaborative trans-atlantic project “HEGEL,HEGELcontemporary,” which is an experimental visual dialogue with her curator brother Martin who lives and works in Cologne. 

July 20, 2017 to October 29, 2017
The Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum presents Emergency Broadcast, an exhibition by the Museum’s 2017 Artist-in-Residence, Pixie Cram. The piece is a seven-minute, stop-motion production that explores the idea of what would happen in a fallout scenario. The production was filmed entirely within the Diefenbunker, including use of props and sound effects, and integrated audio clips from the US Civil Defense archives and the CBC Emergency Broadcast.

Along with its screening at the Diefenbunker, the exhibition was featured as part of the 2017 Canada Scene Festival with the National Arts Centre. The film was also broadcast on CBC (Absolutely Ottawa) in September 2017. After that, Emergency Broadcast went on to have a very successful international festival run.

Pixie Cram is a filmmaker based in Hull, Quebec. Her productions include fiction, animation, documentary and installation. Pixie studied theater and screenwriting at Concordia University in Montreal before making her film debut. She is co-founder of Windows Collective, a group dedicated to the creation and presentation of experimental works using the film. In addition to her own artistic practice, she works freelance as a director, editor and director of photography. “Since 2000, I have made experimental films and videos using, among other things, animation techniques in volume, puppet animation and real-life shooting, in formats such as super- 8, 16 mm and digital video. I created works of fiction, documentaries and film installations in situ with Windows Collective, a group I founded with Roger D. Wilson in 2008. The vision of the collective is to play with the aesthetics of residential and commercial architectural structures in Ottawa and to reinvent a practice of contemporary mobile urban art stemming from the tradition of cinema. I describe my style as “rustic futurism”, where systems and machines are largely broken and nature inspires a new approach to old issues – a sort of pastoral science fiction.”

September 18, 2016 to January 31, 2017

July 9 to December 31, 2015

April 26 to September 28, 2014