Opening Reception: bin·oc·u·lar

Tuesday, December 4, 2007, 7pm

Ben Tong has created bin·oc·u·lar, a site-specific project that activates the nooks, crannies, and overlooked bits of furniture that make Hart House such an interesting space. He has installed a series of viewfinders throughout the House which allow passersby to see spaces they traverse everyday in a new way.

The viewfinders are each mounted on a small chest of drawers. Initially, the furniture-like objects seem at home in Hart House. But, sparking curiosity, they encourage passersby to stop and examine them more closely. Looking into the stereoscopic lens, visitors are confronted by a transformation of the space in front of them. In the empty hallway there suddenly appears an installation of precariously stacked chairs or a fleeting ghostly figure. Tong encourages us to see the possibility for art in quotidian objects. He animates the familiar spaces with an unusual, unexpected, and surreal presence and plays with visitors’ ability to suspend a sense of disbelief.

Ben Tong is an interdisciplinary artist living and working in Toronto. In 2005, he received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, where he studied Visual Studies and Computer Science.

Maps used to locate the works are available at the Hart House information desk.