Inside the David Cronenberg exhibit opening at TIFF Bell Lightbox: 30 photos of faux scars, Mugwumps and more!

by Randi Bergman November 4, 2013

David Cronenberg Exhibit Opening TIFF — Photography by Kayla Rocca

See the photos from the Cronenberg: Evolution opening party »

Spooksville made its way into TIFF Bell Lightbox on Wednesday night for the opening party of Cronenberg: Evolution (November 1-January 19), the exhibit celebrating the city’s most lauded director. The retrospective of David Cronenberg’s 40 years in film opens up a cabinet of curiosities with trippy artifacts, set designs and rare footage from various Cronenberg films including Crash, The Fly, Videodrome and Cosmopolis. My personal favourites: the original “bio-ports” used on Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (remember theeeeese?!) and a menacing Mugwump situated at a Naked Lunch bar setting for guests to pose for photos with. One such guest to take the photo opportunity: David Cronenberg himself, who posed alongside TIFF CEO Piers Handling and creative director Noah Cowan, earlier that day.

As guests including Cronenberg-favourite Jeremy Irons took in the exhibit on the main floor, others got their gore on, with a team of makeup artists transforming faces with faux scars and blood stains so realistic they caused many a double take. On the loading dock, another kind of party took form; with local band Paradise Animal adjacent a Parts & Labour food truck and some rather raw looking meats. Later, dancing queen Andrea Bolley maintained her boogie status, by shimmying to some late night tunes with wrangler extraordinaire PJ Tarasuk.