Rodney Graham

The presentation of The Phonokinetoscope marks the first exhibition of this pre-eminent artist and musician at The Power Plant as well as the first "special project presentation" at The Power Plant, an initiative to liaise with other art institutions to promote contemporary Canadian art. Rodney Graham's The Phonokinetoscope is presented as part of soundtracks, a larger exhibition produced by The Edmonton Art Gallery in partnership with the Blackwood Gallery (UTM), the MacKenzie Art Gallery and the McMichael Canadian Collection with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage: Museums Assistance Program. soundtracks is a large, multimedia exhibition that examines the creative interplay of visual art and music throughout the 20th century. Components of the exhibition will run concurrently throughout the fall at The Power Plant, The McMichael Canadian Art Collection, the Blackwood Gallery (UTM), The University Art Centre, University of Toronto, and The Gallery (UTS).

Over the past few years there has been an explosion of interest among visual artists in the popular culture of music. They are attracted by its themes and sentiments, its versatile styles of communication and its powerful, generative effects. Some seek a more immediate contact with popular culture, immersing themselves within the circles of actual performers, collectors and fans. Yet, they all share a more reflective approach to the culture of music, offering observant replays, emotional inhabitations, ironic appropriations and a skewed perspective on glamour, hero-worship and stardom. Rodney Graham's The Phonokinetoscope comprises a five-minute 16mm film loop and a twelve-inch vinyl record with fifteen minutes of music on it. The projector is activated when the needle engages with the record - technically making it a phonokinetoscope, after Edison's early cinematic invention. The film is set in Berlin's spring-blooming Tiergarten; its only props are a playing card, a clothespin, a vintage German bicycle, a thermos, and last but not least, a blotter of LSD, which Graham casually drops on his tongue while reposing on a rock. The phonographic component of The Phonokinetoscope is written, performed and recorded by Graham who is a talented musician in his own right.

The Power Plant is also pleased to promote the upcoming retrospective of Rodney Graham's work, including The Phonokinetoscope, at the Art Gallery of Ontario, opening March 24 through June 20, 2004. The exhibition, Rodney Graham: A Little Thought, features more than 25 works, following the evolution of Graham's film, video and sound pieces from 1976 to the present. Props, scripts and notes related to the films, as well as selected multiples and audio works, complete the survey. This exhibition is co-organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

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Rodney Graham: The Phonokinetoscope