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
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
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.
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.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.