Through the Vanishing Point
To reflect on the enduring influence of Marshall McLuhan and the relevance of his theories, Canadian artists Lewis Kaye and David Rokeby were commissioned to create site-specific works at the McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology (MPCT) for the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival in May 2010. As the framework of the installation they drew from Marshall McLuhan’s book Through the Vanishing Point: Space in Poetry and Painting (coauthored by Harley Parker), 1968, which explores the way electronic media fragments the homogenous experience of space. From 1963 until his death in 1980, McLuhan conducted his groundbreaking research on the nature of communication, media and technology at the MPCT, which is in the building commonly known as the Coach House.
Presenting two separate but complementary works in the exhibition Through the Vanishing Point, Kaye and Rokeby aurally and visually reconstruct McLuhan’s presence. Working with McLuhan’s ideas about acoustic and visual space, the artists recreate the atmosphere of his legendary Monday night seminars.
Through the Vanishing Point has been specially adapted by Kaye and Rokeby for the space at MaRS, launching on June 6th for Net Change Week and McLuhan100.
About McLuhan 100
2011 marks the centenary of Marshall McLuhan’s birth. Every passing year, relentless changes in our world only deepen our appreciation of the power and scope of his vision. Worldwide, a tremendous range of activities are planned for this year to honour the man, to celebrate his ideas, and to stand witness to the fact that, even fifty years later, McLuhan’s ideas remain as radical, as mind-blowing, and as transformative as ever. Toronto’s famous citizen—our very own Renaissance Man—has become an international emblem of unleashed creativity, uninhibited connectivity and unforgettable genius.
With Toronto under the focus of international gaze, the McLuhan Program in Culture & Technology has joined forces with The City of Toronto’s Economic Development and Culture Division and Mozilla Foundation under the banner of McLuhan100, to claim McLuhan, his theories and his role in the emergence of our great international metropolis.
The Through the Vanishing Point exhibit will be accessible every day of Net Change Week and until June 14, 2011
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