Tom Chomont

From 1962 through 1989, Tom Chomont made over forty films. All but two of his films are silent and all are short, ranging from less than one minute to 16 minutes. Perhaps the subtitle of Chomont’s film “Phases of the Moon” best characterizes his film work: “The Parapsychology of Everyday Life.” His films, often portraits of friends, are a lyric evocation of the ordinary world, but at the same time they bear witness to an unabashedly spiritual and sexual parallel universe. His incomparable technique of offsetting colour positive and high contrast black-and-white negative creates a subtly beautiful and richly evocative, otherworldly aura.

Since 1990, he worked exclusively in video. The videos are hard-edged and raw. While many centre around explicit S&M imagery, they go beyond the performative aspects of sadomasochistic practice and become an entrée to a transcendent and philosophical otherworld.