Thinking about aerial views in Canadian photography, what comes first to my mind? Edward Burtynsky, of course, with his industrial landscapes! Yesterday I was at the exhibition opening of “Daniel Corbeil. Fragmented Landscapes” at the Gallery 101 that totally reminds me at Burtynsky's work. Daniel Corbeil (Montreal) is also interested in environmental issues like overexploitation and global warming, but he follows a different aesthetic approach. He builds models of industrial landscapes with clay, cement, metal and so on, and then takes pictures of them from an elevated position. In a second step, he creates collages of film and digital images with slightly different perspectives, and tapes the small pieces together with blue archival tape.
On the floor: the landscape model “Complexe industriel” (2009) made of cement, metal, salvaged objects, clay, on cardboard, 60x400x400cm. Great idea: Corbeil used try ice to make smoke come out of the cooling towers when he took photos of the model. On the wall in the background: “Paysage construit no. 3” (2009), a collage of film and digital images mounted on vinyl, 1/1, 105x190cm.
These landscape collages – like “Paysage construit no. 3” – look at first glance like real aerial shots, but if you look at them carefully, you will discover that the trees, houses and little sheep are just miniatures. It is indeed a fictional landscape. The shadows of airplanes were made with little models hanging over the model landscape.
Model “Complexe industriel” (2009) on the ground; on the wall a recent work “Dispositif de paysage construit no. 8” (2010), laserprint on polypropylene, 110x240cm, 1/5. Corbeil's comment to the impact of global warming. The icebergs were made of sugar and will elevate if someone presses the red button below the model.
Unfortunately, the show is very small – with just 4 artworks – but nevertheless worth a visit.
Facts:
Daniel Corbeil. Fragmented Landscapes
January 14 to February 19, 2011
301 ½ Bank Street, Ottawa
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