Marlon Griffith's Symbols Of Endurance At The Art

Marlon Griffith’s Symbols of Endurance at the Art Gallery of York University is an exhibit that showcases a very interesting set of pieces. This exhibit shows the many props and designs used for the street performance Ring of Fire which is also one of Marlon Griffiths works. It showcases the ideas of the 7 Symbols of Endurance, and they are represented through symbols, and also by characters. These characters are all very unique in their design, and how they are portrayed in the exhibit, as well as their portrayal in the Ring of Fire performance. The exhibit was highly effective in its way of showing the different symbols and the personalities portrayed, as well as giving us a view of the Ring of Fire performance through a top down perspective.
The second area of the exhibit shows the many different masks used for the performance of Ring of Fire and the different props used for many of the important characters. The specifically designed costumes for the characters with mobility devices were just so large in scale, and they had to be made perfectly for it to be used effectively, and the thought of that being made just shows the amount of work that this piece took. The gallery itself felt like a medium, and every mask was part of the larger picture. There were many masks that were hung from the ceiling and props that were hung on the walls that were just so extravagant. The masks that were used had a very bright color, a very nice use of gold, which gave the ideas of sun and warmth, which were very akin to the idea of “Ring of Fire”. The props hung on the walls were massive in size, and were also very colorful, the same colors were used, and the use of lighting gave it an awe inspiring feel, as well as a sense of warmth, as if it was a powerful symbol, yet humble. The use of negative space within the gallery was to give the viewer a path to walk around, and see each and every mask and prop with detail, as well as give an illusion of being within the crowd of masks, as if the viewer was participating in the Ring of Fire. There was also a projection of clips of the Ring of Fire, on the 2 side walls, where it also gave the sense of immersion within the crowd. Additionally, there was an audio track playing that, according to a pamphlet given in the beginning, had music that “would manifest the Seven Grandfather Teachings in song while the poets developed their poems”. It was music that represented the 7 different symbols shown, as well as spoken word poetry performed by the “Orators” or people who played them. Through this gallery, the effect of immersion was