Artifacts of Memory
Photographer Connor Remus with his exhibition Struck at Co. Lab Gallery + Arts Centre
The Work of Connor Remus on Display at Mariner’s Hall
By Sidney Ulakovic
“[The word] ‘struck’ is lighting a match, right? What is that match for you as the viewer?” photographer Connor Remus says of his intent with his latest exhibition, entitled Struck, which takes a closer look at a collection of vintage matchboxes in a series of macrophotographs. “What are you lighting that match for? Are you lighting a candle [at a church] for a loved one who has passed, or are you lighting up a cigarette outside your favourite bar? It’s this small action, lighting a match, that could actually create a very specific memory.”
Struck marks Remus’s return to fine art photography following his studies at Toronto Metropolitan University. The exhibit was initially on display at Co. Lab Gallery + Arts Centre for two weeks in November before moving to Mariner’s Hall at Prince Arthur’s Landing for a longer display.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of taking something that is so minimal, so small, so nonchalant in the way you might think of it, and then kind of finding meaning in it,” Remus says. “It might not be the first thing that pops into your mind, but there’s a lot of thought and concept, and skill and design that go into a matchbox.”
The collection itself consists of 21 photos that magnify each matchbox’s typography, graphic design, and colour. As the simple matchbox is physically enlarged through Remus’ work, its new scale evokes wonder in all these little details that might otherwise be missed. And, seeing their wear alongside design techniques of days past brings forth a sense of longing for a cultural point in time that no longer exists. “No two people will look at my exhibit the same way,” Remus says, explaining that Struck’s combination of the conceptual and technical will appeal to both the photography aficionado and art enthusiast.
In addition to the photographs on display, Remus brings the tactile component of the exhibition’s title into the mix. “I paired each of the images with a little cue card that has a burnt match,” Remus says. These burnt matches that accompany each piece confront the viewer with the mark left by the occasion that called for the match to be lit, which Remus hopes ignites something in each person who comes to see his work.
Struck will remain on display at Mariner’s Hall until the new year. For more information on Struck or to inquire about purchasing a print, visit Remus’s website connorremusphotography.com.
