In the early 1970s British-born artist Anthony McCall made a name for himself with a series of projected light works that relied on 16mm film technology. Line Describing a Cone 2.0 is an update on a 1973 work, and involves the use of digital technology.
This 2010 work is in the MacKenzie Gallery’s permanent collection, and it recently went on display at the gallery. The installation features a single beam of light which, over the course of 30 minutes, traces out a circle in the gallery.
The 1973 version was hailed as a breakthrough in experimental film in that it existed in three-dimensional space as opposed to being an image on a flat screen, while also transforming passive viewers into interactive participants by enabling them to engage with the light in the gallery. The 2010 update offers similar potential, except through the precision lens of digital technology as opposed to 16mm film.
The exhibition of McCall’s work is a prelude to a major installation by Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan that the MacKenzie has planned for the fall of 2016. So if you’re in the neighbourhood, drop by and check it out. It will be on display until spring/early summer.
