Mat Hay

Listen back to Mat Hay's talk, recorded at the Street Level Photoworks exhibition opening, 22nd September 2018.

Religion has often featured within my exploration and research during this residency. These images were taken one morning at the impressive Basilica of Sainte Anne De Beaupré: an important Catholic sanctuary near Quebec City, which is apparently visited by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year.   Three images are ©Mat Hay 2018

One of my favourite films is Interstellar (2014), directed by Christopher Nolan, written by himself and his brother Jonathan. It deals with some great themes and ideas involving human migration, evolution, and survival instinct. One particularly creative and relevant element of the film is the inclusion of real life interviews with people who lived through the infamous Dust Bowl period,…

Great weekend had exploring the creative offerings of Montreal. This included the Papier Art Fair at Arsenal Contemporary Art, a wandering around the intriguing Belgo building (with its countless galleries, artists spaces, martial arts gyms, and dance studios), and an exploration of the amazing Habitat 67 housing complex, designed by Moshe Safdie. Following this I met with Claire Moeder who…

Off to explore Montreal this weekend, including a visit to the McCord Museum. Sébastien Hudon, the Artistic Director of La Bandé Video (who's offices are located downstairs within the Méduse complex) told me about the museum and its extensive online archive of over 80,000 photographs, which he uses regularly and which are available for the public to access through their…

The National Film Board of Canada - Office National du Film is a great resource for streaming documentaries and films that put a spotlight on Canada and its film makers. Land of the Long Day (1952) by Douglas Wilkinson is one of many free to watch films that I recommend. It gives insight into the traditional Inuit way of life,…

One of the most interesting elements to Wasa Wasa is the relationship the two characters have with their pack of incredibly loyal and intelligent sled-dogs. Humans have worked with dogs for tens of thousands of years, far longer than any other domesticated animals. And it is said that much of the success of the Inuit people, over other groups, to…

        It's a rare occasion for me to finish reading a whole book, but while preparing for this residency I was engrossed in the true story about two men, of Scottish decent, who left Europe to participate in the gold rush that swept across Canada and Alaska around the turn of the twentieth century. The book describes…