Scenes in the Sky
March 17 - April 16, 2005
Lise Beaudry

Lise Beaudry, Clearwater Drive-In, 2003, C. Print

Scenes in the Sky is a photographic series focusing on the endangered status of the drive-in theatre. The series recalls the simple communal pleasures of the past, while revealing a public space that has been marginalized in an increasingly alienating contemporary culture. By studying the dying tradition of the drive-in, my work not only documents the decrepit state of the buildings and their surroundings, but it also examines a loss in our larger culture. I attempt to provide a commentary on the ironies of modern existence, on the isolation felt as a result of massive urban sprawl, and on the effects of urbanization in rural settings. This series addresses both the transformations in the landscape and in social relationships.

Lise Beaudry is currently pursuing an MFA at York University. Her photographic work has been exhibited in several Canadian cities, the U.S, Romania, and Arles, France during Les Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie. In 2002, her first video, LeTourbillon won her the Best Upcoming Toronto Video/Film maker at the Inside Out Film Festival as well as the Audience Award at the Dublin Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. This short has now toured to twenty-six festivals in Canada, the US, and Europe. In 2003, she co-founded Alley Jaunt—local art in local garages—an alternative Toronto annual art event transforming the back alley garages surrounding Trinity Bellwoods Park into venues that showcase visual art, installations, performance, and film & video.