video

Danielle Raymond’s interest in the recovered 8-mm recordings from the 50s and 60s is motivated by the feelings of distance and surprise the images provoke. From this, she came up with the idea to find places where she could project these archive images in situ. To bring her concept to life, she designed and created a unique device, which she called “diffuseur-capteur” (projector-recorder), that features both a camera and video projector.

In the video Vimont, she chose archive scenes of a woman meticulously baking a cake. This culinary experience is projected onto the curtains of a window and onto a buffet-dresser. In the video, we see both the archive images, illuminating the window, but also, the streetlights in the distance. We also hear the comings and goings of cars and buses. Her choice of site transforms both our perception of the original space as well as that of the video’s projection space. The soundtrack features archive audio from places that no longer exist or have been transformed over time. Raymond used audio archives from the kitchens of Montreal’s St-Luc Hospital and various sounds from common objects. A voice-over is featured at the beginning and end of the video.

[English translation: Tanina Drvar, ii-15]