When The Gods Came Down To Earth and The Butcher’s Shop
From September 4 to 13, 2008, the Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), presents two free film installations, in partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival: Future Projections. Internationally renowned Canadian artist and filmmaker Srinivas Krishna re-imagines the Hindu Gods in their most iconic and magical moments in When The Gods Came Down To Earth. Displayed on large-LED screens designed as a beacon, the images will run day and night on the ROM’s Bloor Street Plaza in front of the Lee-Chin Crystal. Inside the Museum, acclaimed artist and filmmaker Philip Haas’ film The Butcher’s Shop can be viewed in the Spirit House, accessible for free via the Bloor Street entrance of the Lee-Chin Crystal during regular museum hours.
When The Gods Came Down To Earth (2008)
Inspired by the way in which Indian artists have utilized mass media, including the printing press, posters, comic books, cinema and television, to visualize gods for over a century, artist and filmmaker Srinivas Krishna uses classical Indian dancers, live action cinematography, stunning visual effects and vivid animations to explore how such depictions become revered icons. The installation employs narratives drawn from sacred stories relayed to Krishna as a child, including the earth’s creation, humans, demons and how gods came to earth to rid the world of evil. Featuring the Hindu pantheon, including Ganesh, Lord of Obstacles, Kali, Goddess of Time and Change, Shiva, God of Destruction and Lakshmi, Goddess of Wealth and Benevolence, this work of public art is an intellectually challenging, emotionally engaging and visually stunning reflection on the nature of worship and belief.
Visitors to the ROM will be able to enjoy a variety of companion programming. In celebration of the Toronto International Film Festival, c5 Restaurant Lounge patrons will be able to enjoy artistic photographic images of South Asian market life on new Versa-tile technology as well as a new bar and drink menu inspired by South Asian daily life and cuisine. Select South Asian merchandise will also be featured in the ROM Museum Store.
In conjunction with the public display of When The Gods Came Down To Earth, the ROM will host a panel discussion on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2 pm. Filmmaker Srinivas Krishna will be joined by Dr. Kajri Jain, contemporary art and culture specialist from the University of Toronto’s Centre for Visual and Media Culture, and Dr. Deepali Dewan, ROM Curator of South Asian Art. The panel discussion is free with ROM admission, and will take place in the ROM’s Signy and Cléophée Eaton Theatre.
For more background information, including bios and credits, visit www.godsonearth.com.
Sponsored by: Hal Jackman Foundation
The Butcher’s Shop (2008)
Artist and filmmaker Philip Haas, writer and director of Angels and Insects (1995), joins canvas to screen in his evocative study of Annibale Carracci’s late 16th century painting, The Butcher Shop. Produced on a studio set, the film, a meditation on Carracci’s painting, work and life, and on the depiction of meat and human flesh in art through the ages, unfolds on the walls of the ROM’s Spirit House. Recreating the space depicted in Carracci’s painting, created in Bologna, Italy, circa 1582, the film portrays two butchers working with iron spikes, and hooks from which are suspended animal carcasses. An axe, a large wooden table, a massive chopping block, and animal remains are juxtaposed with scenes not depicted in the painting, on the other side of the shop, where Carracci paints and directs the butchers. The film runs 7.5 minutes.
Commissioned by the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas
The ROM’s engagement of When the Gods Came Down to Earth and The Butcher’s Shop follow the success of the outdoor video exhibit DARFUR/DARFUR, projected onto the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal in September 2007, the first year of the Toronto International Film Festival’s Future Projections.
Institute for Contemporary Culture:
The Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) plays a vital role at the ROM, a museum whose collections embrace many civilizations through the ages. As the ROM documents history, the ICC is the ROM's window on contemporary society, exploring current cultural issues through exhibitions of art, lectures, film series, and informal gatherings. The ROM's collections provide context and depth to the contemporary issues addressed by participants in ICC events from around the world. In this, and many other ways, the ICC serves as a catalyst for stimulating public conversations. For more information on the ICC, visit www.rom.on.ca/about/icc.