Mois de la Photo
My experience with Mois de la Photo was very different than with EspaceSONO. Nevermind that it felt like a Montreal-wide scavenger hunt as opposed to a one-stop studio, but the focus here was what could be conveyed through images, wether still or moving. In fact, some of the moving picture exhibits (I’m not sure I’d classify them all as films as such), were really interesting. At the Leonard and Bina Ellen Gallery, we actually were fortunate enough to have the artist, Adad Hannah, at the gallery to discuss “Recast and Reshoot”, his current exhibit which is part of Mois de la Photo. While I thought the film loop of the 360 shot of Rodin’s sculpture was interesting, the really interesting part was on the other side of the projection screen, where he had 7 Korean workers mimic the sculpture and remain motionless for who knows how long Hannah filmed them, with the same left-to-right circular pattern of the camera. There was no sound accompanying it. Seven living and breathing beings temporarily had their animation completely halted as they assumed the bronze sculpture’s role. It was a neat mixing of the antique and the living. The fact that movement still came through despite the shots being of something immobile is interesting. This is due to the fact that he didn’t just take a photo of it, but filmed it in a slow and smooth manner.
After this, Teena, Ed and myself found ourselves at the Darling Foundry, watching Canadian Stan Douglas’ “Klatsassin”. As it were, we missed the beginning of the film, but were more or less able to gather that this was an ongoing murder investigation. I personally found it rather difficult to follow, owing primarily to the lack of sync between the visuals and the dialogue. “It’s like a badly dubbed karate movie,” somebody murmured. It was visually very interesting, however. Authentic locations and costumes (except for the John Lennon sunglasses on one character), as well as creative directorial choices in the scenes where each character is interviewed by an unknown person. The director made a choice to replace this interviewer with the camera, so that each character could break the 4th wall rule, and speak directly to you, and look in to the audience’s eyes. A general no-no in the industry, but Douglas makes it work.
We wandered in to the gallery of his photos, and I was awed by the grandeur of the landscapes shots, as well as the incredibly packed library. Both conveyed such a massive space so well. This was aided by the huge print size; it just enhanced the spaces so much more.
I did manage to see a few of the solo photos displayed through Montreal (the one near Théatre du Nouveau Monde, and the one on Duke), but being able to get close to the exhibits, spend time looking for detail and letting the images resonate allowed for a better appreciation of the exhibit. Unfortunately, craning my neck to see Marisa Portolese’s photo hanging on the side of a building 4 or 5 storeys up did nothing to help me really see the photo. It looks like it offers so much color and detail, and such a melancholy expression, but from 5 storeys down, what can I really see?
But I suppose one must ask themselves this question whenever we approach any work of art. What do I see?
“The Contact Image / Le Devoir People’s choice award – Mois de la Photo à Montréal.” 18 Sep. 2007 <http://www.moisdelaphoto.com/en/prix.html>
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