Aubrey Reeve
Toronto, Canada
Part of a larger research project called The Storm and The Calm, this work is loosely inspired by the fate of a young sailor who was the sole survivor of the crew of the Lord Ashburton, a cargo schooner that crashed in 1857 on Grand Manan Island, in the Bay of Fundy. Through the lens of this particular shipwreck story, The Calm explores the broader archetype of the castaway. From The Odyssey, to The Tempest and Robinson Crusoe, the lone survivor of a shipwreck has been a potent metaphor for exploring self-discovery through isolation. Cut off from society, the castaway in this work must measure out time by the ebb and flow of tides.
The pair of videos show a placid coastline of mudflats, water and sky. In one of the videos, the outgoing tide deposits a woman on the shore. She wakes to a vision of salvation that proves to be elusive. Meanwhile in the other video, she meditatively walks a labyrinth path until she is engulfed by the rising sea. Across a span of 40 minutes, the character in both videos attempts to find a path to psychological survival.
Originally from New Brunswick, Aubrey Reeves is an artist, curator and arts manager based in Toronto. Drawing from historical and mythology sources, her work spans from film and video to installation and drawing. Recent shows include Gallery 44, Ed Video, the Khyber ICA and the Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival in Germany.
www.aubreyreeves.com
Artist bio
Artist cv
Aubrey Reeves, The Calm, 2010, Video still
The Calm, 2010,
Video Installation
[ selected photographs ]
[ video ]
C15 - Parking Lot at Liberty Street and Dufferin Avenue
Thank you to:
Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts |
