Ryan McNeil
Tonight I actually took time to see an installation TIFF commissioned as part of their Future Projections programme. If you were anywhere near the corner of King and John last night around eight, I was the dork looking up at the building…the only dork looking up at the building.
The idea of this project is a good one, but its execution is weak to say the least. For starters, two of the three films are actually montages. They are artful montages, but they are still only montages. If you’re going to project video over a busy corner, why not commission three original works?
As if that isn’t bad enough, much of the second piece, The Shape of Things uses very dark muddy footage, which doesn’t translate very well in a dim window on a brightly lit corner.
Finally, am I the only person who finds it mildly amusing that a building that seems to have been in-progress for the better part of the decade is proudly displaying a video called This Transition Will Never End.
Great idea TIFF – maybe next time you can commission some more forward-thinking artists.