Colossus

Colossus is an ongoing series of paintings depicting scenes of architecture, arcades and sci-fi influences from Cineplex Laval, formally known as Colossus, located in Laval, Quebec. The previous owner, Famous Players, opened the flying saucer-shaped building to the public on November 17, 2000. The space-theme ran throughout the building, and has since been toned down due to disinterest, but remnants of planets, rockets and stars can still be found.

 

 It was once painted in galaxy fuchsia and cyan on the exterior walls; a node to psychedelic culture of the 1960’s and 1970’s when aliens and outer space were themes that sparked public interest. Humans have always been curious of the unknown, and many resources have been spent to satisfy this curiosity. The Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon, in 1969, is a catalyst for the space thematic that would later make its appearance on television and radio. Cinema Colossus is no exception to this. It is conceived from the hype of this generation, perhaps as a nostalgic reference by the architect and designer. It was acquired by Cineplex in 2005, and had its name changed to Cineplex Laval. However, it is still widely remembered as Colossus by the community of Laval. It underwent a kind of censorship upon Cineplex’s acquisition, when they muted those vibrant exterior walls with a monochromatic coat of paint, almost as if stripping its personality away, and “normalizing” the building. 

 

In my series, I paint from what still remains at this location. I take the cinema as subject matter and then render these images in oil paint on canvas. In various sizes, my pictures are a testament to experimentation and exploration of colour, medium and gesture. I begin with a colour that I consider difficult to work with: fluorescent pink, lime green, fuchsia. Referencing the nostalgic value of the cinema or revisiting the past in an effort to bring it to the present, I create new images from the spaces and objects that can be found here. By personifying the structures from the cinema, I reintroduce some personality that Cineplex tried to strip away back in 2005, but also demonstrate how this movie theatre space, frequented by thousands of people every day, begins to feel like a living entity.