Seeing in circles

In Surfaces, Bill Vazan links old stones in Quebec with the ancient stones of Egypt and translates the experience of land art into a gallery exhibition. A photo of a circular earthwork overlooking the Valley of the Kings in Egypt is paired with a sculpture of stacked bricks in the main gallery. The bricks continue into the basement where there are what look like archeological remains of the photographed earthwork.

Then there are two large photo-installations, consisting of 36 images each, arranged in a rectangular grid. One installation features a landscape near Rawdon, Quebec; the other looks inside the Kom Ombo Temple in Egypt. Neither work has a horizon line—they are spherical views of the surroundings. “Some people have accused me of giving them vertigo,” says Vazan. “The 360-degree viewpoint of the photoworks is meant to mimic the experience of the land pieces via the camera and a two-dimensional surface.” At the Centre des arts contemporains du Québec (4247 Ste-Dominique) until May 10. Info: 842-4300. :

—Christine Redfern