OMNIS TEMPORALIS MARK HANEY

RICHMOND ART GALLERY, APRIL 9 – JUNE 25, 2017 OMNIS TEMPORALIS 1 MARK HANEY / SETH SPROTT? bering how rich and gracious —Mark were”. they Twain is in up them casting it from musty the ledgers and remem gone, was opulent are it that treasures with and charm the of –and lies charm the of it.life The pathos because of isthere it but about his old For times. is where there pathos the of his not about present the or future, the and and talk; cent. talk to Hewants intoreminis age, he gets has drifted “As soon as a man recognizes he that GEORGE WHO IS Curator, Richmond Gallery Art Text by: NAN CAPOGNA

- - as much asIcould. IsGeorge agood person my directing hand keep to But, out Itried of it -- ahumancontradictions. with being filled lot of empathy of for George us all --he's like pathy had they for George. had Ipersonally a then decide for himself just how much sym to reader the “Iwanted from it: mayarise that feelings resolve any to reader the conflicted social codes of conduct, to it but leaves Seth misdeeds maychallenge our moral and on—someger ache or pain”. sorrow, something she “couldn’t put her fin Georgeintimating hid some personal deep “knew” him, really never they admitted Daisy thosewere who admired him, such others as and bitterness. deep heartbreak there While self-aggrandizing man and cause the of Daisy. There accounts are of George asa and Helen; his adoring,wife, niece faithful, George’s his pained, unhappy infidelities; Coronet the at Hall; series lecture weekly and abandonedhe fathered adaughter; his adventurer” where asa“gentleman Arctic numerous the seminary; the at the to trips of George’slearn lonely childhood; his time us: to we unfolds revealed are that as“facts” non-linearlows narrative isan elaborate 1975, one before his death. week fol What ItisOctober 2, station. the at asleep fallen episode and customary has regularity, with TV host”; he has just wrapped up his 1132nd Prologue sequences and picture photographs. Inthe reminiscences,views, testimonials, dream and apologetic narrator, inter tentative span George’s cumulatively that a 81years: of biographic fromtogether avariety sources study rhythmically pieced pensive character weekly the TV show, Sprott, resident of Dominion and host City of long George of fictional and life contested in 2009. The exhibition, exhibition, The published by Montreal’s and meticulously designed, book oversized as an expanded “picture alavish novella”, Times Sunday Magazine rary classical music classical and performancerary by contempo with Canadian cartoonist Seth graphic the together work of renowned originally serialized in 2006in the serialized originally 1894-1975 on Seth’s picture novella, musical work, RichmondPremiering at new the Gallery, Art Vancouver-based composer Haney. Mark George’s life with its shortcomingsGeorge’s its with and life Seth’s signature drawings chronicle the , we are introduced, weare “George to the . The of story George Sprott was Omnis Temporalis Omnis Temporalis Northern Hi-Lights Northern ; Seth reimagined it reimagined it ; Seth Drawn &Quarterly George Sprott: Sprott: George , isbased New York , draws draws , . It is a . It is a - - - - -

tumes. Park, Diane has designedArtist, cos the Pawsey and Heather koralee, Jovanni Sy. and actors, Richard Newman, Dory Hayley, gor, Hasselberg and Marina Haney; Mark comprising atrio ters: Mark Takeshi McGre music supported by an ensemble of charac Sprott’s through isretold story dialogue and formed over course the of exhibition; the Omnis Temporalis Itisin the station. where Haney’sTV station space designed CKCK asthe by Seth TV tion of images from book the and a cartoon base anew musicalbase work on and Seth requested to permissionCarter, to a copy of and letter Seth. In2011Haneyto sent afan he has turnedMore his attention recently whom inspired have previous compositions. Terry Fox and daredevil, Ken both Carter, of champions,Canadian including athlete, Haney has afondness Mark bassist ble for something of quality. in and rendering care the effort with ciated isasso time of an earlier for aesthetics the is in no waynostalgic.” misery, for which and injustice he alienation Canadary and period’s that of experiences centu of early-twentieth superior aesthetic has explored“Seth tensions these between or Candida place time. er writes, Rifkind beyond depicting or merely pining for anoth moves complexity its “nostalgic”, but clearly as labeled Hiswork isoften aesthetically. communicate they story he favours atime to cartooning history,earlier grounding the drawings line Seth’s clear an reside within them now…” fix to wrongs too late –far again andthere you and you suffer count those old and of regret, he feelings admits “You lie book from George, directly where wehear however, asin one pages of the of few the momentsare where melancholia in seeps of his ries robust and younger days. There in memo the comfortably (and repeatedly) through of story the George Sprott who lives memorytime, and sense of wend nostalgia “opulentwere treasure”. with The passing of and in his reminiscences of that those times charm of George in his past Sprott’s lies life or"true" not.” is star. the decideare that whether Others stories. in our character owncentral little We the weare ofwe can say isthat ourselves or abad person? It'snot decide. to easy All Omnis Temporalis Vancouver-based composer and dou Echoing Mark Twain’s observation, the Aim for the Roses for Aim (1)

Sprott told through aselec of story the Georgelations: instal but related discrete Temporalis two the artists. between professional relationship poralis development of in motion set the missive drawn. Haney’s determined hero”, whom to he was wasSeth, Haney’sit “art of Haney’s butject esteem; sub an unlikely seemed byanti-hero most accounts, eponymous protagonist, an 1894-1975 will premiere and premiere will be per The exhibition The exhibition , “lasting but, “lasting for a and the subsequent and the (2) Seth’s preference . Its fictional and fictional . Its , presents two , his work about George Sprott: Sprott: George Omnis Tem Omnis ------new work. new Richmond of this in creation the Gallery Art to who perspectives bring distinctive their pairingThis of two artists isaremarkable be work recognized.one their will to imparts each that and care extraordinary attention work the of with Haney or Seth, the familiar show. from his television detritus If one is wouldment what to become ephemeral the long andlife his character commitflawed” of George’s intricacies the to “incredibly focusthe of work. the Haney wasdrawn was George it Sprottthat who would become CKCK he determined time Over TV station. of the part were colourful that characters George of Sprott, Dominion city the and the movements revolved asthree aroundit that music for Whenbegan developing Haney first the of Dominion’s city the beneath coatof arms. from somber the derives written time”, motto Print. Waterloo, Ontario: UP, Laurier Wilfrid 2015. Allen. M. and Thomas Cultures in Canada. ByJennifer Blair Material Seth’s George Sprott: 1894–1975." (2) Rifkind, Candida. "11. The Biotopographies of Web. 25Nov 2016 The Reporter Comics (1) Spurgeon, Tom. Seth” “CRSunday Interview: Omnis Temporalis , 7June 2009.

he had imagined

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2 OMNIS MARK HANEY / SETH HANEY MARK TEMPORALIS

PATCHWORK Text by: RICK MADDOCKS 3 4

Ghost Prologue. Every week, a chamber trio of double bass, cello and flute materializes brief- ly on the set of the old CKCK TV show Northern Hi-Lights. Onstage, behind a desk, sits the show’s expansive host, Mr. George Sprott himself. A slow parade of singers and speakers joins him and the musical ensemble in a performance for a small studio audience. The first notes are a stirring glissando of strings mimicking the sound of an old TV warming up. What follows is a curious musical work, weaving together memories, re-enactments, interviews and reveries pertaining to the life of one George Sprott—born 1894, died 1975. The vocalists repre- MEDITATION sent figures of varying significance in his life—some who were near and dear to him, others of whom he was completely oblivious. Sooner or later you might notice that there don’t seem to be any technicians running the studio. In fact, the show Northern Hi-Lights hasn’t been on air for decades. The TV camera, and indeed the entire set, is made of cardboard.

ON DOMINION and grey and brown and white buildings. And all the people and ghosts inside them. Sales Seth’s “private municipality”(1) is the setting clerks stand behind counters. A television for George Sprott: 1894-1975, the graphic host reclines behind a desk. A man looks novel on which Omnis Temporalis is based. up, his spectacles reflecting white light. Dominion is a mythical city of roughly 300,000 Memory, loss, regret, childhood and death. situated in Northern Ontario. The artist, orig- More buildings rise and decay and fall while inally envisioning a single comic book, began streets become roads that reach out into an filling notebooks full of drawings and histori- imaginary countryside nudging up against cal minutiae related to the city. Yet Dominion our world. has grown exponentially over the years, both as an interior landscape blossoming into ON NARRATORS AND REGRETS published books and as a model city com- posed of numerous three-dimensional card- “Welcome to the CKCK Television station.” “My work was ephemeral in nature; board models. Seth says he could be thinking These are the first words of the Omnis about this imaginary world until he dies.(2) Temporalis recording. The narrator uses Lonely figures appear on streets dot- a first-person-plural voice—a warm yet it’s likely to melt and leave little trace.” ted with diners and lonesome storefronts. detached “we” that appears sporadical- Black, leafless trees stand on sparse lots. ly throughout the work. On the other hand, Sunlight slowly moves across the fronts of the narrator of Seth’s George Sprott is very –George Sprott brick buildings. Light and shade. Offices at much an “I”, a self-reflexive presence who’s OMNIS TEMPORLIS night. Those buildings. Those blue and black also stereotypically Canadian, apologizing OMNIS TEMPORLIS 5 MARK HANEY / SETH we learn howwe learn Coronet the home Hall, of the Temporalis ings in possess quality atime-lapse landscape. amelancholy to corneris dedicated of that manence and exhibition multi-layered this imper landscapean imaginary to dedicated musical note here. every Dominionfact, is drawing every andpassing arte permeates poralis youare know already is. it what mori Dominion’s coat of arms contains a art. make to older self period in schooldifficult prompt will that his his younger going isstill through self the from Espinola, hails perhapsrefers Ontario; for Haney, “ten-year-old the which me”to he he’s lived, such asGuelph and Strathroy. As towns based on Ontario wheremeditation Dominion could asan archetypal be viewed which past. of evokes Seth’s years Ontario brand—thatana here, but particular avery Haney aren’t dealing in just any old Canadi andCormier and his Milkmen. Seth Musical include Polka Time, Bowling King and Marsall shows in golden the ageof featured CKCK es of Can-nostalgia”. Who methink of “makes it that melodic instrument in the main as Haney he chose says flute alto pathos. with Canadiana One glazed reason moss. carefully-manicured in like slowly settling former cobwebbed cracks, latter the with world-weariness—the meets idealism Naïve child the andboth old artists, man coexist. world. in off In one’s little sealed own private of act shutting oneself hermetic inthe abox, of Seth’s images, muted the palette attention child. Your your to humble calls writer essay climbingrecalls into cardboard boxes asa Weaken Don’t work In Seth’s earlier thingscreating for ten-year-old the me”. Haney has goneMark on record saying, “I’m I apologize. answer for you satisfying on matters. these Your humble doesn’t a have writer essay Sprott’s abandonedinterviews daughter? in 2006and Iqaluit to “we”whothe travels voice. new narrative Who, for instance, is This isn’t only the question regarding the who dominates proceedings? otherwise considerable presence of George Sprott, decision based on out balance to aneed the in the refashioned narration first-person-plural voice provide to the self-assured female ous gaps in my information.” many intrusions, “but truthfully, seri Ihave during one state they of facts,” the their all of lack finesse. “I couldall to have pretend oversights or an over for certain repeatedly ON CHILDHOOD The lives andThe of lives Dominion’s deaths build proudly also These embrace artists a on aComposer Haney settled Mark , which isone of my most beloved piec , areminder and of mortality, chances Omnis Temporalis . Nothing lasts. The slow ache of time ON IMPERMANENCE . Within space the of aminute, , the artist’s fictional persona fictional artist’s , the AND CANADIANA (4) It’s a Good Life if Life It’s aGood You Omnis Temporalis Meanwhile, the TV recording. Was his Hinterland Who's Omnis Tem memento memento Omnis is is (3) ------instrument provides bedrock the for rich the sive TV host resonant the with voice. The for George Sprott, rotund, the avatar expan Haney’sMark double bass musical isan ideal you across came ever words. these haps, ifyou far, this read you forget also will melancholyeccentric, exhibition. And per forget youwill here and came ever this saw them.” Maybe come there’ll aday when you ether,the along who folks the made with longare anyway. forgotten into Evaporated former technician says, “All those old shows pre-1977 video library. its CKCK trashed A ahead. seldom ordle-aged, dead. elderly They look all back, in anddrift out mid of either dream this are for it.” Come think to of voices the it, that all issue,next however. “There’s no audience George. She’s ceasing production the after Northwinds Journal up to him”—she to her time devotes of could them marriages—“neither measure nism, aprisoner of past. the two failed After as an anachro in 2007, can be viewed viewed a middle-aged woman when she’s inter ofhalo dust around them. Sprott, Even Daisy they’re and brimming there’s yet life a with who peopleacters work? the Major or minor, dead.”when the passed to from living it the it,er you be hard pressed will pinpoint to just boarded up. And even ifyou pause consid to you has been it years that maynotice a few into “shabby says, decline”. Our “In narrator in town. Dress codes come and go; falls it onceGrill, hot the spot for showbiz the set of fate the Similar outlet. Thesales Melody it’s by replaced adiscount been computer succumbing wrecking in the 1999, to ball es of disintegration. We how, learn since neighbourhoodthe though suffers stag and bargain palace shopguises asstrip as in 1979. We how hear through passes it such closingfor decades beforeits finally doors Thursday Night hangs Series, Lecture on ON BASS LINESANDBASE LINES As for George’s legacy, that welearn And of what complex, the char dented in honour of her Uncle The The ------ness.” human to line base the issad experience sense of a strongthat loss. sense that I feel sadness from my in work me…All iscreated of feeling adeep ing creates into past the present everything while is constantly mov whole of experience being trapped in the brings. words Inthe “Ithink of that Seth: passing, yearning the and it regret that elusive,thetime painful nature of reflect Yet challenging of the work the qualities youyou. on are your matter Onthis own.” tor in might echo to be narra tempted the writer work in composition, the your humble essay nook every explain meto asked and cranny at voices in “Every Thursday”). And ifyou cloud a dark-bellied over talking-head the resonant regret” (which “deep hangs like miss day” this him and to Dr. Garrison’s except for refrains, Daisy’s “I lament clear versa. vice There no are choruses and few busy mirroring spoken the and sung lines, or as ifdaring you them. recall to They’re often impossible cling to pass as they you to by, musical signature, melodies the almost are represents CKCK the that motif and awistful Followingpattern. opening the glissando discernible It doesn’t follow an immediately poralis Sprott himself. and Daisy Richardniece Newman asGeorge roles of soprano central the as Dory Hayley on board takes voicesthat multiple including coursefragmentary Haney a plots flute, alto berg on and cello Takashi Mark McGregor on Omnis Temporalis up pile in that of musiclayers and narrative this this musical world. The resulting work is sui Hayley). The spoken word has colonized (Dory and Daisy (Ida niece Nielsen) Helen passages sungplaintive by George’s wife Temporalis ifany obvious few are there “songs” in against abackdrop silence. of Second, rare be speak heard from others to never again; and out of sonic the landscape unannounced, speech and singing. Some voicesin float tumblesbundled of in elliptical together speaking roles in piece, the sometimes tiple Haney’s previous work. First, mul are there Temporalis Sprott George ridiculous”. amazing and #>%$!?& completely “Utterly work the The call to one result led reviewer playing role the a single of narrator Carter. sources morphed into asong cycle linked by Canadian daredevil. Repurposed,ties these Ken to seven the Carter, related transcripts and asfilm aswell advertisements, ries, TV the Roses for Hispreviousterritory. recorded work, strange, colourful configurations its ownon andes from places other arranges in them and bits piec aBowerbird collects like that he’s se; per lyricist tional more ascavenger, dialogue and lyrics. Haney isn’t aconven work’s the to aback seat takes often patina, The music, burnished a melancholy with ON SPEECHANDSONGSILENCE On first listen, the listen, music in On first While drawnWhile from single the source of (5) George Sprott George is gently angular, isgently counter-intuitive. go acouple than of further steps , notwithstanding beautiful, the (6) , took as its sources, took asits news sto , the lyrics and lyrics , the music in . Joined by Hassel Marina : “There I cannot help Omnis Tem Omnis Omnis Aim Aim ------

nate together as a cyclical whole. asacyclical together nate generis, composed reso that of fragments look at a life lived imperfectly. lived look alife at poralis soundsfragmentary and visions, approaches his final hour. these and In other from “sub-basement the of memory” ashe ing however, wife, presences their float up daughter. of spirit the his long-suffer Like andout of his that her illegitimate existence seduce ayoung Inuit woman, blocking later where he place happened past—the cized to snow-bound the see of his romanti vistas nic landscapes. of interludes arctic we Here Sprott ismost poignantly evoked by sce the elusive, ambiguous of one character George ter’s mysterious essence. Yet perhaps the search for acharac ment multilayered the CKCK TV schedule. compleThese devices such asthe features sequences; “extra” film ic flashbacks; oldand reels; dream TV him.” with do to “He wasanawful man, and nothing Iwanted Abandoned daughter: this day.” him to “I miss Beloved niece: up contradictory views: offer acter’s life people with char from main the interviews as from documentaries andsuch films classic techniques incorporatesalso cinematic self-conscious that patchwork aesthetic 1894-1975 trapped inple time”. peo grid of boxes; stacked austere little the and graphic novels. has alluded “that to Seth ralis approachThe fragmentary of Citizen Kane Citizen There are also “sepia-tinted” dramat There “sepia-tinted” also are subtly reflects the nature the nature of comic strips subtly reflects offers us a complex, offers kaleidoscopic , narrative and design assume, narrative a ON FRAGMENTS

. For example, talking-head

(7)

In George Sprott: Sprott: George Omnis Tempo Omnis Tem ------

(7) Vancouver, December 15,2010. Heaven”. (6) Mack, Adrian. Haney's “Mark (5) The Canadian Federationrelaunched in 2003. Wildlife series the Canada (NFB), and enjoyed heyday in 1960sand its the 1970s. Canada and Film Board National the of Service Wildlife profiling produced Canadian animals, was initially by Environment (4) Vancouver: Opus 59Films, 2016. Produced by John Bolton and Naomi Mark. (3) Toronto: Film Board National of Canada, 2014. Produced by Marcy Page and Flahive. Gerry (2) Toronto, December 23,2016. (1) Rogers, Sean. “Exploring the World of Seth”. Hinterland Who’s Who, the Roses. for Aim Seth’s Dominion. Seth’s Dominion Seth’s Dominion. The Straight Georgia . Directed by Luc Chamberland. Directed Directed by John Directed Bolton. a series of announcements public aseries service .

Aim for the Roses for Aim

The Globe & Mail. The &Mail. Globe Reaches Geek Reaches Geek

6 MARK HANEY, composer and double bassist, is the artistic director of The Little Chamber Music Series That Could and Composer in Residence at Van- OMNIS TEMPORALIS. couver’s Mountain View Cemetery. His work is deeply motivated by issues of Canadian identity, culture, and community. As a composer he is best known MARK HANEY / SETH for “Aim for the Roses” (2010), an avant-garde double bass suite that tells the story of real life Canadian daredevil Ken Carter. John Bolton’s film of the same name opened last year’s DOXA Festival and tells the stories of Mark and Ken Carter and their respective obsessions with their passion projects. On bass Mark has performed throughout North America in a wide variety of genres and RICHMOND continues to commission and premiere new works by Canadian composers. SETH is the cartoonist behind the comic book series , which started as a pamphlet comic book in 1991 and is now a semi-annual hardcov- ART GALLERY er. His comics have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Best Ameri- can Comics and McSweeneys Quarterly. His illustrations have appeared in numerous publications including as covers of the New Yorker, the Walrus, and APRIL 9 – JUNE 25, 2017 Canadian Notes & Queries. He was Lemony Snicket's partner for the Young Readers series, All the Wrong Questions, and has illustrated and designed a new, deluxe edition of Stephen Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a little Town. He is the designer for several classic comics reprint series, notably collections of work by Charles Schulz, John Stanley, and . He was the winner, in 2011, of the Harbourfront Festival Prize.

RICK MADDOCKS is a writer, composer and singer. He’s the founder of Sun Richmond Cultural Centre Belt, an arts group that released its debut book/album Cabalcor: An Extracted 7700 Minoru Gate Richmond, BC History in 2015 (Anvil Press/OffSeason Records). He also created The Meal, an experimental opera that debuted at the PuSh International Performing Arts www.richmondartgallery.org Festival in 2011 and was restaged at Pacific Theatre in 2012. His collection of [email protected] linked stories, Sputnik Diner, was published by Knopf Canada/Vintage. He Tel.604-247-8300 wrote and produced The Beige’s two releases, 01 and El Ángel Exterminador, which also featured Mark Haney. Rick teaches creative writing at Douglas Monday - Friday: 10am - 6pm College. Thursday: 10am - 9 am Saturday & Sunday: 10am - 6pm All images are credited to Seth, from the graphic novel, ISBN: 978-1-926594-26-2 George Sprott: 1894 – 1975, 2009

Richmond Art Gallery thanks Montreal publisher Drawn & Quarterly for their assistance.