The Gathering 

Finalist of 2019’s Salt Spring National Art Prize.

The Gathering

The Gathering is a large, contemporary photography piece called, “The Gathering — The Embodiment of the Mind” (Oct 2018).

It consists of many different expressions of self, that began as an adventure in personal discovery, but has since become a visual portrayal of compassion and acceptance of all aspects of one’s self.

Through personal evaluation, I bring forward 20 individual stories. In my photo I depict the contrast and dynamics of various emotional personas that I identified with through my whole life, such as joy and depression, or greed and generosity. Through deep introspection into these personalities, I found identities I resonated with and emotions who (as I discovered later), behaved like repeated patterns throughout my life. 

Facing the true contrast in ones personality can be confusing, even overwhelming and sometimes depressing, and yet, gathered here into a "theatre of life", I offer acceptance to the contradictions — spotlights on these identities, which can only be possible by stopping judgment, dismissal or avoidance of them, and instead giving each aspect attention and space. The fragmented cloud in the background symbolizes the scattered awareness of all these thoughts and emotions, before they were clearly defined and brought to the front. 

It took me over 2 years before I could materialize this concept, although the original idea was from 2015.

Actors in photo: 
Mohammed Junaid, Joshua Obra, Kyle Cheesman, Nathan Mason, Lucas Bertolino, Josh Palmer, Steve Kaszas, Hilary Wirachowsky, Farah Foster Manning, John Leung, Evgeny (dad) and Katherine Reznik, Homa, Taryn Manning, Zachery and Ashley Taylor, Samantha O’Reilly, Nathan Joseph Redburn, Amanda Petrin, Allan Amet
Actors not in this photo above but in the individual photos of the project (below) 
Nate Gabriel Hudson, Janet Fairbridge, Heather Dennis, Riley Tindall, Julia Beaulieu, Brysson Murray, Isaac Young

Crew :
Costumes & set props - FRANCESCA CALLOW
PhaseOne Camera operator/ CaptureOne - PRABHJOHT SING
Studio Light Tech & Touch up PhotoShop: MANI SING
Assistant Light - JESSICA ROSATI
Video/ second assistant light - BRYSON MURRAY
Make up/hair - SAY DE GOEDE 
Make up session 3 (in the individual photos of the project (to come)- Make up by LEAH WHITEHEAD
Assistant director and host - KIM ANNAND
Isaac Young & Sarah Tennant - Light & Camera/ CaptureOne at 3rd session

First full day Studio session was generously sponsored by S1Group and District28 in Toronto

All studioset photo’s made by Bryson Murray ©