Montréal, September 28, 2010 — Charles Gagnon: 4 Films brings together the experimental films created by multidisciplinary artist Charles Gagnon in the late sixties and early seventies, and highlights the intersections between film, painting, photography and music in his artistic oeuvre. With their avant-garde experimental collage and structuralist filmmaking aesthetics, these four 16-mm works produced between 1966 and 1972 resonate with the countercultural consciousness of the 1960s. Created within the vibrant context of sixties Québec, The Eighth Day was made by Gagnon for the ecumenical Christian Pavilion at Expo ’67. The Sound of Space and R69 [unfinished] take us into the spaces of artists’ studios, where paintings are conceived and produced. R69 was left unfinished at the artist’s death and is being screened for the first time. It is rich with conversations with fellow artists: Yves Gaucher, Jean McEwen, Guido Molinari, Claude Tousignant, Jacques Hurtubise and Henry Saxe; composers Pierre Mercure and Toru Takemitsu are also a presence. The intermedial facets of Charles Gagnon’s practices in photography and painting, to which these moving images now contribute, enrich our understanding of the lifelong artistic work of one of the few multidisciplinary artists practising since the 1950s, and offer important insight into Québec and Canada’s art scenes.
Program
The Eighth Day
16mm film transferred to digital file, b&w, sound, 14 mins
Created for the Christian Pavilion, Expo 67, Montréal. 1st prize Los Angeles Survival Fair Festival (1970)
The Sound of Space
16mm film transferred to digital file, b&w, silent, 27 mins
Screened at the Sixième biennale de Paris, Musée d’art moderne (Paris, 1969)
Pierre Mercure 1927–1966, 1970
16mm film transferred to digital file, b&w, sound, 33 mins 33 secs
Screened at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, and at Oberhausen Festival (Germany 1971)
R69 [unfinished], 1969–
16mm film transferred to HD video, colour, 53 mins, soundtrack by Raymond Gervais
R69 [unfinished], 1969–
16mm film transferred to HD video, colour, 53 mins, soundtrack by Mary Stephen
Courtesy of the Estate of Charles Gagnon
The Eighth Day, The Sound of Space, Pierre Mercure 1927–1966 distributed by Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC).
Source and Information
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Anne Dongois
T. 514 826-2050
[email protected]
