This 19th title in the Power Plant Pages series was produced in conjunction with Sandra Brewster’s exhibition By Way of Communion, presented at The Power Plant in 2022. The exhibition included two works: DENSE, which was presented February 5–May 1, 2022, and A Place to Put Your Things, which was presented February 5, 2022–January 2023. The publication features installation images of By Way of Communion, a foreword written by former Director and Artistic Director of The Power Plant Gaëtane Verna, and texts written by exhibition curator Joséphine Denis, Nehal El-Hadi, Jordana Moore Saggese, and Mark Sealy.

For first-generation Canadians, stories passed down from parents and loved ones provide a sense of belonging to a place where they have never lived. With DENSE, Brewster transformed The Power Plant’s Fleck Clerestory into a world made from memories that family members had shared with her, interwoven with her lived experiences. Two images faced each other: the Essequibo River in Guyana on the east wall and a collage of Canadian and Guyanese forests on the west wall. Through this new installation, Brewster invited viewers to cherish the people and environments that shape their lives and prioritize a sense of co-existence and community grounded in continually evolving acts of remembrance. The large-scale installation A Place to Put Your Things was the artist’s first public artwork. As Brewster describes it, the swing-shaped sculpture invited participants to “a place to rest and be at peace, to unburden oneself, and simply sway at one’s own pace and rhythm. Play being a central element of the work, the sculpture connects to an inner child and can be engaged by children and adults alike.” Facing Lake Ontario, the swing gave new purpose to the location where it was installed, and its movements could be felt from both near and far.

Product Information

Editor: Gaëtane Verna

Designer: Pata Macedo

Publisher: The Power Plant

Year: 2023

Pages: 120