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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.