Anatomy of an Abattoir

2019
Sculpture / Site-specific installation
Collaboration with Kaitlyn Bourden

Commissioned by Nuit Blanche, Toronto, 2019
Photos of event by Priam Thomas

 

When a Toronto abattoir closed in 2014, some of its original contents were left inside. “Anatomy of an Abattoir” revitalizes these neglected objects and makes them part of the building’s exterior. In the lead-up to Nuit Blanche, the artists cast objects around the site—ducts, machinery and architectural details—in latex rubber. These castings, installed outside the building, give the space’s interior a second life beyond its walls, inviting us to consider the past and the present by turning the structure inside out. For years, even as the city grew around it, this abattoir resisted change, remaining an active site of production, industry, destruction and consumption. Calling back to this history, the building is given a rebirth through sculptural interventions. The building’s once-secret interiors are rendered playful, beautiful and uncanny, lingering like ghosts brought to life outside the space.

Location: TAS, previously Quality Meats
Address: 2 Tecumseth St., Toronto
Public Washrooms: No
Physical Access: Wheelchair accessible, uneven surface throughout the viewing area
Indoors/Outdoors: Outdoors
Allergy warning: bees and beehives at the project site.