If you’re in the mood for something a little out of the ordinary (but still fun), Erin Cosgrove‘s new animated video What Manner of Person Art Thou? looks as though it might defy full explanation just enough to make your life more interesting. Cosgrove is a multidisciplinary artist and writer based in Los Angeles, and this most recent work of hers is being presented at CineCycle by the Toronto film and video screening collective Pleasure Dome on Saturday, March 6. This is the video’s Canadian premiere, and with stuff like this you never know when or if you might get the chance to see it again.
The premise: two post-apocalyptic survivors and former Amish-esque colony members wander through a desolate modern landscape dispensing justice upon evildoers, following the model of the seven deadly sins. If this sounds a little too sombre, be assured: the video is being billed as a “darkly funny” black comedy about the modern encounter between faith, morality, and corruption. Oh, and… the visual design is inspired by the famous Bayeux Tapestry, an 11th-century woven narrative account of the Norman conquest of England. Seriously.
Cosgrove’s award-winning body of artwork has, in the past, been comprised of a variety of media including video, animation, books, painting, scrolls, timelines, installations, and performances. With such a breadth of creative potential, What Manner of Person Art Thou? promises to exceed the capacities of animation and video in unexpected ways.
CineCycle is a coffee bar, bicycle repair shop, and screening venue located in the old coach house down the lane behind 129 Spadina Ave., on the east side between Richmond St. W. and Adelaide St. W. The screening starts at 8:00 pm on March 6, and cost is $8. The video is unrated. Click here for event details, and here to visit the video’s official site.
