The work shown here is intended as a small sample of video practice in Canada. In such a huge and culturally rich country there is bound to be a range and diversity of work impossible to represent in one programme. This is a selection of work seen in 1991


The first five tapes, in different ways, address feelings of fear and death. Not a particularly light-hearted subject but, nevertheless, one we increasingly need to face as an inherent part of our daily lives. Many Canadian artists, maybe more so than in Britain, have found ways of expressing these feelings, resulting in works of intelligence and intensity which remain in the mind long after having left the viewing room.


Personal values as well as monetary and moral issues are questioned in This Is Your Messiah Speaking' and 'Jain Walks The Line'. Frenkel explores the subtle, subliminal exploitation of consumer psychology whilst Yael assails us head on with a series of provocative, sometimes humourous, confrontations.


The last three tapes in the programme deal with aspects of place and identity, so poignant to the Canadian consciousness. Sujir presents the persepective of the immigrant struggling to unite different cultures and histories. 'Site Unseen' examines the expectations built on myth and fantasy bestowed on an unknown place; in this case not another country but the city of Calgary as it was perceived by someone having lived in the remote coastal areas of Newfoundland. The last tape, 'She's Calm', is a lyrical piece about the people who depend on the water for their livelihood. Skillfully edited and beautifully filmed, this is a poetic and positive statement about Canadian identity.


Multi-layered, challenging and intelligent, the works in this programme are all bound by an underlying motif: the presence of fear. (Even in 'She's Calm' there is a threat in the form of the sea which can and does take lives). These tapes do not pretend to 'ease the troubled mind', in fact they positively demand that the audience sit up and actively engage with the content of the work. This may not be a particularly jubilant or hedonistic programme (although there is the occassional light-hearted moment!) but it is certainly one that will be remembered. (Canadian High Commission, London)



SKIN Colin Campbell 1990 18mins
An unsentimental and thought provoking account by four women on how AIDS has affected their lives. This tape extends the parameters of traditional documentary to make a powerful statement about a subject all too often ignored.
(BLISS) (DREAD) Jan Peacock 1986-7 6 mins
A dialogue played out against a landscape of familiar desire (Bliss) and nameless fear (Dread). A subtle exploration of unknown elements within safe surroundings.
STORY TIME Karen Bonduchark 1989 9 mins.
A succint investigation into ways narrative operates to construct and control meaning. In this case the 'story' told is of an uncontrollable event ie. a car crash.
THE LONG TAKE Gary Kibbins 1988 7 mins
A complex and powerful tape dealing with different themes of Sex and Death and how they are manipulated by the media . Using archive footage of J.F Kennedy's assassination juxtaposed with other equally disturbing images and an evocative sound track, Kibbins manages, within 7 mins, to raise a multitude of controversial issues. A work of clarity and precision, it deserves to be seen more than once.
THE ADS EPIDEMIC John Greyson 1987 4 mins
Loosely based around the story of "Death in Venice" Greyson exposes the 'Aquired Dread of Sex' syndrome induced by mass media sensationalism surrounding AIDS. This is a fast edited pop-promo format tape with a serious message.
THIS IS YOUR MESSIAH SPEAKING Vera Frenkel 1990 10 mins A new work by one of Canada's leading video artists. A continuation of Frenkel's recent series on the theme of consumerism, the power of advertising and the seduction of shopping malls to induce us to spend money we don't have. A beautifully refined work which uses sign language and sub-titles as part of the text.
JAIN WALKS THE LINE B.H.Yael 1986 5 mins
A tape which questions your principles and your values. Which side of the fence do you sit on and where would you draw the line?
INDIA HEARTS BEAT Leila Sujir 1988 9 mins
A visually rich tape which deals with cultural displacement. Sujir uses Super-8 footage of India and eletronic imagery to weave together the lives of three different women who are united by their feeling of being 'foreigners' in the country where they now live.
SITE UNSEEN Brian Rusted 1988 9 mins
Through the use of polaroid photographs this work explores the image conjured up about a place before having seen it. It is about resisting preconceived ideas, about untangling notions of truth, fiction, fact and fantasy. In Rusted's words, "no image is absolute".
SHE'S CALM Rhonda Abrams 1990 9 mins
To end on a less restless note this work portrays people who appear to be totally at one with their environment: the fishing communities of Newfoundland. A serene visual poem which pays homage to their way of life and their special relationship to the sea.

[LESS]
The work shown here is intended as a small sample of video practice in Canada. In such a huge and culturally rich country there is bound to be a range and diversity of work impossible to represent in one programme. This is a selection of work seen in 1991


The first five tapes, in different ways, address feelings of fear and death. Not a particularly light-hearted subject but, nevertheless, one we increasingly need to face as an inherent part of our daily lives. Many Canadian artists, maybe more so than in Britain, have found ways of expressing these feelings, resulting in works of intelligence and intensity which remain in the mind long after having left the viewing room.


Personal values as well as monetary and moral issues are questioned in This Is Your Messiah Speaking' and 'Jain Walks The Line'. Frenkel explores the subtle, subliminal exploitation of consumer psychology whilst Yael assails us head on with a series of provocative, sometimes humourous, confrontations.


The last three tapes in the programme deal with aspects of place and identity, so poignant to the Canadian consciousness. Sujir presents the persepective of the immigrant struggling to unite different cultures and histories. 'Site Unseen' examines the expectations built on myth and fantasy bestowed on an unknown place; in this case not another country but the city of Calgary as it was perceived by someone having lived in the remote coastal areas of Newfoundland. The last tape, 'She's Calm', is a lyrical piece about the people who depend on the water for their livelihood. Skillfully edited and beautifully filmed, this is a poetic and positive statement about Canadian identity.


Multi-layered, challenging and intelligent, the works in this programme are all bound by an underlying motif: the presence of fear. (Even in 'She's Calm' there is a threat in the form of the sea which can and does take lives). These tapes do not pretend to 'ease the troubled mind', in fact they positively demand that the audience sit up and actively engage with the content of the work. This may not be a particularly jubilant or hedonistic programme (although there is the occassional light-hearted moment!) but it is certainly one that will be remembered. (Canadian High Commission, London)



SKIN Colin Campbell 1990 18mins
An unsentimental and thought provoking account by four women on how AIDS has affected their lives. This tape extends the parameters of traditional documentary to make a powerful statement about a subject all too often ignored.
(BLISS) (DREAD) Jan Peacock 1986-7 6 mins
A dialogue played out against a landscape of familiar desire (Bliss) and nameless fear (Dread). A subtle exploration of unknown elements within safe surroundings.
STORY TIME Karen Bonduchark 1989 9 mins.
A succint investigation into ways narrative operates to construct and control meaning. In this case the 'story' told is of an uncontrollable event ie. a car crash.
THE LONG TAKE Gary Kibbins 1988 7 mins
A complex and powerful tape dealing with different themes of Sex and Death and how they are manipulated by the media . Using archive footage of J.F Kennedy's assassination juxtaposed with other equally disturbing images and an evocative sound track, Kibbins manages, within 7 mins, to raise a multitude of controversial issues. A work of clarity and precision, it deserves to be seen more than once.
THE ADS EPIDEMIC John Greyson 1987 4 mins
Loosely based around the story of "Death in Venice" Greyson exposes the 'Aquired Dread of Sex' syndrome induced by mass media sensationalism surrounding AIDS. This is a fast edited pop-promo format tape with a serious message.
THIS IS YOUR MESSIAH SPEAKING Vera Frenkel 1990 10 mins A new work by one of Canada's leading video artists. A continuation of Frenkel's recent series on the theme of consumerism, the power of advertising and the seduction of shopping malls to induce us to spend money we don't have. A beautifully refined work which uses sign language and sub-titles as part of the text.
JAIN WALKS THE LINE B.H.Yael 1986 5 mins
A tape which questions your principles and your values. Which side of the fence do you sit on and where would you draw the line?
INDIA HEARTS BEAT Leila Sujir 1988 9 mins
A visually rich tape which deals with cultural displacement. Sujir uses Super-8 footage of India and eletronic imagery to weave together the lives of three different women who are united by their feeling of being 'foreigners' in the country where they now live.
SITE UNSEEN Brian Rusted 1988 9 mins
Through the use of polaroid photographs this work explores the image conjured up about a place before having seen it. It is about resisting preconceived ideas, about untangling notions of truth, fiction, fact and fantasy. In Rusted's words, "no image is absolute".
SHE'S CALM Rhonda Abrams 1990 9 mins
To end on a less restless note this work portrays people who appear to be totally at one with their environment: the fishing communities of Newfoundland. A serene visual poem which pays homage to their way of life and their special relationship to the sea.