Queens of Light
The Monarch Universe unfolded as a study of transformation — the artist raising herself up into the sky to perform as an absurd oversized Queen with strutting video legs. Every 30-minute video cycle of walking included the Queen resting for 5 minutes. It was an act of self-becoming under pressure.
Where the Dada Family dealt with archetypes, the Monarchs explored metamorphosis as a ritual of personal survival — a mirror of the artist's own healing process and artistic devotion. The Queen wasn't a metaphor; they were a manual for transfiguration through care.
The Monarch Universe also introduced the principle of rest as praxis. The walking could pause mid-performance to honor the body's needs, and the resting Queen was included — not cut from the video. This foundational gesture later became central to Access Poetics.
“The sight of someone resting became a poetic act.”
Works & Fragments
Queen of the Parade, 2013. Curated by Patrick McCauley for PARADE. Scotiabank Nuit Blanche. Funded by The City of Toronto, Scotiabank, Mighty Brave Productions with a donation from Mac Fabric. Queen Legs film by Forever Epic Films directed by Wegner and Carl Elster. Produced by Martin Edralin. Gown by Vanessa Lee Wishart. Skirt build by Long Branch Design, Nikolai Berda.
Queen of the Parade 2.0, 2014. A 10-foot Queen commissioned by Partners In Art for ArtRageous In Motion, their Annual Fundraiser. Funded by Partners in Art.
Queen of Stardust, 2014. Funded by Haus of Dada, Partners in Art, Telus Mentorship Program and Neighbourhood Arts Network. The Fall and Rise of the Queen of Jupiter coming 2028. A 30-foot Übermarionette Queen designed by Nikolai Berda of Long Branch Design.
Press
- Queen of the Parade 2013 Blog Life With More Cowbell — Nuit Blanche T.O. Amazes & Inspires.
- Interview for Queen of the Parade Life With More Cowbell — Interview with Lisa Anita Wegner & Vanessa Lee Wishart.
- Interview The Mind Reels — Getting Ready for Nuit Blanche with Lisa Anita Wegner.
- Mention by Feminist Philosopher Lisa McKeown “The Joke's On Who? The Performative Possibilities of Humour” — Academia.edu.