all that is solid melts into air
A viscous red takes over. It is the final stage of the communication breakdown of the Anthropocene- the tower crumbles, voices crescendo into white noise, and man sees only beast in his neighbor.
You hit the road.
Eventually, you settle for the end of the world as a rest stop; it is marked by an effigy of Christ with shaded eyes. Barefoot, you decide to take a walk to clear your head from the Pandæmonium you have witnessed, and in the barrenness, nearly step into a sign of life- a pair of eggs burrowed in the grass. What shall you do with these archaic vessels of the liminal space between life and death? Perhaps some sort of bioplastic architecture, or just call it a truce; and let them hatch into angels.
How does one build a different world? A nail gun, a hammer; tools are used both for construction and destruction- conceivably, the latter is also a sort of making. The kiss of death, clipped wings are framed by the same nails that crucify, figures are shredded, re-arranged, superimposed. What was profane is now holy.
As you wander further, you encounter a lone living room setting- an armchair and a coffee table filled to the brim with sketchbooks that breathe. As you flip through them, a mist envelops you, then cradles in the palm of your hand in the form of a monstrous creature seeking the alchemical warmth of a tender touch. This is the mystery of a pageless book, the surreality of the pistil.
A façade is a revelation, and the uncanny a sign of fecundity. Now is the time for glamour spells, for dreams, masquerades, for trickeries and controversy.
At its core, The Pit is an investigation into the ways in which people are devoted to their craft and a gathering of minds and voices, on the page and in the flesh. Inspired by the strange and beautiful talents that we’ve been honoured to publish, we felt called to bring together a selection of previous Pit contributors in a group show. This exhibition celebrates the incredible labour that is poured from the hearts of Montreal’s finest minds and alchemised into works of art that incisively illustrate the space and time we are occupying and yet imagine a different world. Come closer to the candor of the chandelier!