A Greek tragedy-inspired performance art piece about suffering and the absurd
It's a performance piece about life and death.
Based on the Greek myth "Sisyphus" Montreal artist Victor Pilon will shovel 300 tons of sand at the Olympic Stadium.
It’s a modern study in the absurdity and repetition of life, based on an old legend.
For angering Zeus, King of the gods, Sisyphus, a mere mortal, was condemned to a repetitive task for all eternity: to push a boulder up a mountain every day, just to see it roll back down.
Pilon swapped the boulder for sand.
“I said to myself, 'if Sisyphus pushes that boulder up the mountain and it comes down and smashes and breaks on eternity, what will it become? Sand,'" he said.
Starting Sept. 28, Pilon will shovel the equivalent of 300 tons of sand from one side of the East Hall at the Olympic Stadium to the other. It will take one month.
The one shovel he will use has a microphone in it, so the audience will hear and see each scoop.
"The shovel may be shared with others and I will see if they are willing to become Sisyphus, and to be a part of the experience of the absurd because it's totally absurd: doing something which doesn't end and doesn't accomplish anything," he said.
The spark for this project was the death of Pilon's longtime life partner, who died in a car accident.
He knows he will suffer while shovelling, but not as much as he has been since Sylvain died.
Pilon said his plan has touched a nerve with others who have lost a loved one.
One worker at the Big O approached him with her story.
“It's helping me through my grief," she said to Pilon. "I lost my child a few months ago."
"She just starts crying, I start crying," said Pilon. "I'll shovel for you and I'll shovel for your son."
While people watch, he wants them to also think.
"It’s a wake-up call: what do I want to do with my life," he said. "Do I want to travel every day to go to work, what's the purpose? What's the meaning of it? The piece will be more contemplation, reflection, questioning and introspection."
He added that the timeliness of the piece is important.
"I think that COVID also reminded us about the essence of what life is about," he said. "When I will be in pain. When I will be in anguish and insecure. I will think about them."
The performance begins Tuesday at noon, and is free though a vaccination passport is required for entry.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to start evacuating from the area, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.