Exhibited at Nuit Blanche 2022 in a public plaza nestled between Toronto’s financial district bank towers Swing Low, Sweet Chariot transformed symbols of human ambition and power into a conversation around how city-dwellers relate to their city while living between its monuments. Building a city is a complex endeavor, and many residents don’t get a say in its formation. Drawing inspiration from the namesake spiritual song that calls for heavenly vehicles to descend and relieve earthly ills, the installation juxtaposes a dynamic, poetic, and hyper-lapsed video projection of Toronto’s urbanscape accompanied by an ad hoc community chorus. The audio is composed of stories and interviews collected from across Toronto’s neighbourhoods: reflections the land we share. In a time of global crisis created by mass displacement and other socio-political struggles “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” calls for a renewed response to collective living.
Swing Low Sweet Chariot was ranked among the top 25 exhibits of the year by BlogTO : https://www.blogto.com/arts/2022/09/nuit-blanche-exhibits-toronto-2022/
Acknowledgements:
Video created by : Chosang Tenzin
Video projection : Will Le Maitre, Michael Alstad
Production support : George Traini, Virginia Anotonipillai, Sanjay Ratnan, Isabel Ahat
Content editor: Ksenija Spasic
Photo credits: Mike Brassard, Mohit Rai
Funding : City of Toronto, Quadreal, Ontario Arts Council,
Special thanks to recommenders Gendai gallary and A Space gallary.
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