still from "Back in the frame" on Guardian UK, August 31, 2011

March 11, 2011, the devastating tsunami hit Japan and killed over 15,000 people and left thousands without homes. I couldn’t imagine then nor can I now, how it would be to experience such a traumatic event. Recently, I came across a documentary on the Guardian website, showing a mass movement of volunteers restoring photographs that were damaged in the diaster. It is a short documentary but very much worth your time.

I work with found photographs, I buy discarded family albums and what it seems is that the photographs take up too much space physically and maybe even emotionally. The images are abandoned, forgotten and probably done willingly. This wasn’t the case for the tsunami survivors. Their personal belongings and their life were scattered and destroyed. The found and restored photographs take on an entire new meaning, they become a physical link to their past, potentially the only object that was rescued and the photos become a reminder of the disaster and survival.

© Michal Rovner Culture Plate #4 2003

Michal Rovner is an Israeli artist, and works with projection and installation pieces along with found rocks in once conflict areas in Israel. Rovner studied Photography, amongst many other disciplines, in Israel and one that was mentioned at the gallery was that she had a background in dance. I’m mentioning this because her installations have a wonderful appreciation of movement, space and time. Her projection installations draws in the viewer, the movement can be slow, subtle or simply repetitive. I found myself standing in front of these pieces as if hypnotized, my gaze held there trying to process the simplicity yet complex digital arrangements of the pieces. Data Zone (2003) is one of her complex digital installations. 3 identical white sterile tables stand adjacent to one another and on each tabletop holds 9 Petri-like dishes clumped in threes. When you peer over the installation you can view clusters of figures swirling in and out of each other, creating forms and lines crossing and fading. The entirety of the setup seems quite simple, it’s clean, to the point, simple to view but the back end is far from simple. This installation took Rovner 5 years to set up. This intricate setup works with plasma TVs, suspended under the table top, to project into the Petri dishes. Looking onto these frantic figures as if they were a science project was crazy. This is just one of the many extremely well thought out pieces that is exhibited.

A piece that wasn’t at DHC but is an impressive one of hers is Makom (2008), a house-like structure made with rocks from conflict areas in Israel. The installation is 11 feet tall, 16 by 16 feet in depth and weighs 60 tons. This piece has been exhibited around the world amazingly enough. The stones selected for the exhibit at DHC, In Stone (2004) and Stones(2006-2009), were placed in special casings receiving a projection of colour, lines, patterns and figures sometimes with added subtle motion and sometimes still. Her work with the rocks reflects the subjects of archeology, hieroglyphs, cave paintings and combines the ancient with the modern. I never thought I could stare at one rock for such a lengthy time!

The simplicity and the genius behind these works are amazing. The physical set up of the exhibit was also impressive. The projectors were always hidden or simply well positioned. The work became it’s own piece, un-obstructed by the actual projector. I would have to say that this exhibit and seeing Rovner’s work has been an enlightening moment for me. Her work blends social, historical and political aspects; it evolves photography to an almost tactile, interactive medium, something that I have rarely seen so tastefully done before.

The exhibit closes at the end of the week.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4wieOa_Kog

I came across this short but really fun interview with William Klein on public life. The clip is really well done. Klein is such a character and with him explaining his shots, everything just seems to come alive. His work is really incredible, so vibrant and always pushing the boundaries. This little clip portrays Klein in a similar fashion to his work.

Still from Sigur Ros Glosoli

I love Sigur Rós‘ music – love it. ( and i’m sad to say that i’m missing their show in Montreal) BUT i am also enthralled with their music videos. This is one of my favorite videos – Glósóli by Icelandic directors Arni & Kinski. The imagery is beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doc1eqstMQQ