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Parking Lot at Bay Street and Elm Street, 686 Bay Street 416-338-0338

Four Sisters, 2007

John Armstrong - Toronto, Canada
Paul Collins - Paris, France

Video Installation

"Four Sisters" is a silent, 77-minute video sequence shot on Toronto's waterfront Gardiner Expressway during a late afternoon rush-hour commute from east to west. The Gardiner, an elevated highway crossing much of the city, is flanked by a plethora of billboards and other signage. The video also documents a construction boom on redeveloped railway lands that parallel the highway. Near the end of the video, the Gardiner returns to ground level and a series of roadside topiary gardens depicting corporate logos and brand names come into view. Beneath the video is a running band of text that recounts 11 short, anecdotal narratives in either English or French. The often humorous narratives look at sign painting, branding and naming through the lens of the artists' personal experience. In the tradition of silent cinema, the artists will improvise a live musical accompaniment to the video.

View an excerpt of this 77-minute video below.

www.johnandpaul.ca

Suitable for all ages

In association with the Consulat Général de France à Toronto