A Life in Photography: Kerr’s Suitcase

Two black and white pictures. On the left, a balcony, a naked woman at its far end. On the right, a man in the foreground puts a bottle of beer in the buttocks of a man in the background. A third man laughs behind.

A Life in Photography: Kerr’s Suitcase

Exhibition

November 12 to 22, 2015

3450, Saint-Urbain St., Montréal

Exhibition from November 12 to 22, 2015
3450, Saint-Urbain St., Montréal
Opening hours: 11am – 10pm
Presented as part of RIDM

Vernissage : Saturday, November 14th at 7pm
Panel discussion with Donigan Cumming, Khalik Allah, and Michel Lamothe: Friday November 20, 3pm, Concordia University – salle J.A de Sève

Screening of Culture by Donigan Cumming : Tuesday, November 17 at 8:30pm, Cinémathèque québécoise, room Claude Jutra. As part of the retrospective Eye of the Photographer: photography and poetic documentary curated by filmmakers and photographs Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky.

As part of the 18th Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal (RIDM), Videographe presents A Life in Photography: Kerr’s Suitcase by Donigan Cumming. Combining video and photography ,Cumming’s new body of work challenges modernist notions of the singular ‘auteur’ and the iconic image by recreating the atmosphere of flânerie and camaraderie that continues after the death of one party in the form of imaginative collaboration.

This work started when the artist received a suitcase that contains the ‘life in photography’ of David Kerr (1945-2007). Kerr was active in the Montreal art community of the 1970s, and especially the Crescent Street scene where he and Donigan Cumming met. Cumming is now in possession of his photographic oeuvre, passionately created and completely forgotten. With this work, his aim is to create a memorial to the unknown photographer, combining Kerr’s work with his own. This is not a history project, but the creative expression of hopes and fears as the post-WWII generation faces the twin terrors of apotheosis and oblivion.
This project develops an important aspect of Donigan Cumming’s practice, which has been the use of personal papers (letters, diaries, medical reports, and family photographs) in dialogical structures with photographs and video recordings. These “authentic documents” have functioned paradoxically to destabilize the reality-effect of the artistic work and to question the distinctions between truth and fiction, and private and public.

The works presented in this exhibition are part of a larger developing body of work comprising an installation, a video, and an artist’s book.

Donigan Cumming uses photography, video, painting, drawing, sound, and text in multi-media artworks and installations that have been widely exhibited in Europe, Asia, and North America. His work is recognized internationally for its forthright and compassionate representation of humanity and its forgotten members. His artist’s book The Stage (1991) is included in Parr and Badger’s The Photobook II and Errata Editions selected The Stage for its ‘Books on Books’ series on key photographic publications. Retrospectives of his video work have been mounted by leading festivals and museums. In 2005, Moving Pictures (MOCCA, Toronto) premiered his monumental photo and encaustic collages on panel, Prologue and Epilogue, and the DVD collection of 18 video works, Controlled Disturbance. His recent project, Kerr’s Suitcase (2015) is an assemblage of visual documents, direct cinema, and animation that revisits the dream of a life in photography. Cumming lives in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. www.donigancumming.com

@Charlotte Clermont, Plants Are Like People, 2018_soutien_technique_cover_mars2022

Technical Support Program

Call for submissions

Deadline : March 1st, 2022

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Deadline : March 1st, 2021

* New: 4 calls for submissions per year

Program description

The Technical Support Program is intended to support artists interested in experimentation and in pushing the boundaries of the moving image in all its forms.
This support can be used in the production phase of the project or in the post-production phase.

A total of 4 calls for submissions per year will be made, for which the following are the deadlines;

March 1st (for projects that will start between April and June)
June 1st (for projects that will start between July and September)
September 1st (for projects that will start between October and December)
December 1st (for projects that will start between January and March)

Please note that 2 projects per call for submissions will be selected.

Artists selected under this program have free access to:

Our editing suites, sound booth and digitizing equipment for a maximum of two weeks. These two weeks can be contiguous or spread over 3 months.
Free access to available equipment belonging to Vidéographe.
Two meetings with Vidéographe’s team to discuss the project and its circulation potential: one meeting at the start of the project in order to specify the needs and a second meeting at the end of the project.
The possibility of organizing a private screening at Vidéographe.

It is not necessary to be a member of Vidéographe to apply; however, should your proposal be accepted, we will ask that you become a member. Once you have signed the agreement, you will have three months to take advantage of the benefits that this program has to offer. Regular membership fees are $50 + tx per year and student membership fees are $25 + tx per year.

We are looking to support independent experimental or documentary works that stand apart for their currency and endeavour to renew the artistic language. We will accept proposals for single-channel video, installation, Web-based work, and all other forms of moving image. We consider all genres—video art, experimental work, fiction, documentary or essay form, animation, dance video, and videoclip. Please note that all works must be independent and non-commercial. Projects of a conventional nature, such as classic short narrative film or television documentary will not be considered.

Once your project is finished, you may submit it for active distribution by Vidéographe. Please note however that acceptance into the Technical Support Program does not guarantee that your work will be distributed.

Required

Candidates must possess full editorial and creative control of the project.
Projects must be independent and non-commercial.
Projects that have received support through this program may not be re-submitted.
Student projects are not admissible.
We encourage traditionally under-represented artists to submit a project. Vidéographe is driven by the conviction that multiple points of views are necessary to enrich society and the discipline we work in.

Selection process

Works will be chosen by a selection committee made up of Vidéographe staff and members.

Projects that are retained will be subject to a contractual agreement between the artist and Vidéographe. Schedules, revised budgets, and requirements regarding equipment, rooms, and technical support will be planned and clearly laid out, as will the terms and conditions relative to each party.

Application file:

Contact information and website if applicable
Project description (500 words)
Schedule; (Overall project timeline and detailed timeline for support for creation).
Technical needs; (Please consult our website for more details on our editing suites and equipment).
Resume.
Supporting documentation (current or past projects);
Maximum 10 minutes of video footage. Please send a link to your video(s). Do not forget to include the password if applicable; and/or maximum 15 images (max: 1024 px wide, 72 dpi); sketches, plans, and mock-ups may also be submitted in PDF format.

Submission of your file

Applications will be accepted by email only. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent. Please write TECHNICAL SUPPORT PROGRAM in the subject heading of your email and send your file to info@videographe.org. Please send your file as a SINGLE PDF document (including links to videos). Files found in the text section of the email will not be taken into account.

Please allow three weeks for a response. Vidéographe chooses eight projects per year.

Illustration: Lee Lai

Eleven cultural organizations in Montreal affirm or reaffirm their endorsement of PACBI and restate their commitment to the liberation of Palestine.

PRESS RELEASE

In a strong statement of solidarity, eleven cultural organizations in Montreal have officially endorsed the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), highlighting their commitment to the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. This collective action underscores the essential role of culture in resisting colonial oppression and supporting the liberation of Palestine. While a ceasefire agreement has been partially reached, this support affirms that the struggle for justice, resistance, and liberation is more important than ever.

The BDS movement, launched in 2004 by Palestinian civil society, calls for sustained and nonviolent pressure to end the Israeli colonial project and the ongoing occupation of Palestinian lands. The demands of the movement are as follows :

End the occupation and colonization of all Palestinian lands and dismantle the apartheid wall
Recognize the full rights of Palestinians to equality, both within the 1948 borders and in the occupied territories
Uphold the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes, as enshrined in international law and United Nations Resolution 194.

By supporting PACBI, these organizations reject complicity in the normalization of the Israeli colonial regime. On the contrary, they commit to supporting Palestinian self-determination by promoting artistic practices and cultural collaborations that resist colonial oppression and amplify the voices of liberation.

In October 2023, over 4,000 Canadian artists and cultural workers signed a solidarity letter stating: ”As artists, cultural workers, and academics, we firmly support the Palestinian struggle for freedom and against all forms of racism and colonial violence.” This collective statement underscores the belief that art is inherently political and that artists have a responsibility to stand in solidarity with oppressed communities, including Palestinians. (Hernandez, Cassie. “4,000 Canadian Artists and Cultural Workers Sign Palestine Solidarity Letter.” Hyperallergic, 20 Oct. 2023.)

Montreal, known for its vibrant cultural landscape, has a long history of engagement in global struggles for justice. This collective decision reflects a growing awareness among cultural workers of the importance of international solidarity in the fight against colonialism and apartheid.

This support comes at a critical time, as Palestinians face escalating land theft, systemic violence, and forced displacement under the ongoing Israeli occupation. The decision of these organizations to join PACBI is a long-awaited declaration that culture must align with the values of justice and liberation.

The organizations supporting this initiative are joining a growing global movement of artists, academics, and cultural workers committed to supporting the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation and self-determination. These organizations hope that more groups will adopt PACBI across Quebec and Canada.

To date, the following organizations have united their efforts to support or reaffirm their commitments to PACBI: Ada X, articule, Atelier La Coulée, Céline Bureau, Centre Clark, Centre des arts actuels SKOL, Dazibao, Metonymy Press, Oboro, PME-ART, and Vidéographe.

About PACBI

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) was launched in 2004 as part of the BDS movement. It calls on cultural institutions and individuals to refuse complicity in violations of international law and human rights committed by the colonial regime, emphasizing the transformative power of global solidarity. PACBI is committed to freedom of expression as outlined in the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and, in principle, rejects boycotts of individuals based on their opinions or identity (such as citizenship, race, gender, or religion).