Past Exhibitions
Toronto International Film Festival: Future Projections 2011
Buffalo Days by Peter Lynch
Closed
Thorsell Spirit House
September 8 to 18, 2011
A multichannel video installation, created by one of Canada’s most celebrated filmmakers, Peter Lynch’s Buffalo Days examines the devastating impact of Europeans on native cultures. In place of an inherently organic system, Europeans substituted one of complete control, driving out or eliminating wildlife—especially buffalo—and people unable to conform.
The projections perform different functions: one reflects the actual physical environment; another, remnants and ghosts of the Blackfoot people’s way of life. The haunting quality of the imagery is buttressed by a soundscape comprised of natural sounds and traditional Blackfoot drumming. The piece is a compelling rumination on several of Lynch’s favourite themes, among them how we interact or fail to interact with our environment (see the heroes’ quests in Project Grizzly and Cyberman) and the inescapable influence of the past.
Peter Lynch has had a long history with video art and installation work dating back to when he organized Video Culture International in the 1980s. Lynch’s deep understanding of the form is especially evident in Buffalo Days.
Co-presented by the Institute for Contemporary Culture at the ROM and Toronto International Film Festival: Future Projections. Produced with the support of The National Parks Project.
