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L’Homme De Pekin (1982) (18:00) (Montreal)
In Distribution
by Daniel Dion, Claude Vivier, and Philippe Poloni
To the lament of his parents, an artist escapes the responsibilities of straight society. Through playful impromptu performance this tape confronts the polarities inherent in the artist’s interaction with society’s morals and conventions. A hommage to the primal nature in all of us.
*Digitized from 3/4″
VIVO is located in the homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples in a warehouse space at 2625 Kaslo Street south of East Broadway at the end of E 10th. Transit line 9 stops at Kaslo Street on Broadway. From the bus stop, the path is paved, curbless, and on a slight decline. The closest skytrain station is Renfrew Station, which is three blocks south-east of VIVO and has an elevator. From there, the path is paved, curbless, and on a slight incline. There is parking available at VIVO, including wheelchair access parking. There is a bike rack at the entrance. The front entrance leads indoors to a set of 7 stairs to the lobby.
A wheelchair ramp is located at the west side of the main entrance. The ramp has two runs: the first run is 20 feet long, and the second run is 26 feet. The ramp is 60 inches wide. The slope is 1:12. The ramp itself is concrete and has handrails on both sides. There is an outward swinging door (34 inch width) at the top of the ramp leading to a vestibule. A second outward swinging door (33 inch width) opens into the exhibition space. Buzzers and intercoms are located at both doors to notify staff during regular office hours or events to unlock the doors. Once unlocked, visitors can use automatic operators to open the doors.
There are two all-gender washrooms. One has a stall and is not wheelchair accessible. The other is a single room with a urinal and is wheelchair accessible: the door is 33 inches wide and inward swinging, without automation. The toilet has 11 inch clearance on the left side and a handrail.
To reach the bathrooms from the studio, exit through the double doors and proceed straight through the lobby and down the hall . Turn left, and the two bathrooms will be on your right side. The closest one has a stall and is not wheelchair accessible. The far bathroom is accessible.
Born in 1958 in Montreal, Quebec, Daniel Dion studied Communications at Université du Québec à Montréal. Dion worked with photography, video, performance and installation. He combined his passion for art, spirituality and technology with the surrounding environment. Along with Su Schnee, Dion he co-founded OBORO, a Montreal-based multidisciplinary exhibition and production centre for contemporary art and new media. Dion had solo exhibitions at the Centre international d’art contemporain de Montréal, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), and the Vancouver Art Gallery. He also exhibited across Europe and Asia and was involved in cross-cultural art exchanges in India, Cuba and Japan.
Many consider Claude Vivier the greatest composer Canada has yet produced. At the age of 34, he was the victim of a shocking murder, leaving behind some 49 compositions in a wide range of genres, including opera, orchestral works, and chamber pieces. György Ligeti once called Vivier “the finest French composer of his generation.” Born in Montréal, Vivier studied at the Conservatoire de Musique. In the fall of 1976 a visit to Bali caused Vivier to reevaluate his ideas concerning the role of the artist in society, initiating a new period in his stylistic evolution. In the wake of this journey he wrote Shiraz (1977) for piano, Orion (1979) for orchestra, and his opera Kopernikus (1978–79). Above all, it was in his cycle of pieces for voice and instrumental ensemble, particularly Lonely Child (1980) and Prologue pour un Marco Polo (1981) that Vivier’s unique style crystallized. In a New York Times profile, Paul Griffiths observed, “The harmonic auras are suddenly more complex, and the fantastic orchestration is unlike anything in Vivier’s earlier music, or anyone else’s…”.
Philippe Poloni was born in Italy. He studied visual arts and literature in Montreal and New York. His work has been shown in Canada, the United States, and Europe.