SAMPREETH RAO

Where the Trees Speak is a participatory audiovisual installation for Nuit Blanche 2021 that depicts undulating body parts juxtaposed against the Rouge Park’s changing seasons, representing Scarborough’s migratory origins.

The exhibition connects the Rouge Park’s history and location as a metaphor for the changing demographics in Scarborough. With the theme of Nuit Blanche being the “Space Between Us”, the Rouge has quite literally been a transitional space. This is a concept that we explore in three ways:

Migration - The human history of the Rouge area goes back 10,000 years. From Palaeolithic nomadic hunters, the Iroquoian settlement of Ganatsekwyagon (Bead Hill) in the 1660s and the portage route named the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail, the European exploration and farm settlements in the 1800s, to the current wave of Caribbean and Asian immigrants since the 1970s, the Rouge area has historically served as a space between point A and B along migratory paths. The transitory journeys of each era of Rouge inhabitants have created a human cycle of transformation that echoes the changing of the seasons.

Geography - Situated between east Scarborough and west Pickering, the Rouge Park is a space between two rapidly expanding areas of urban sprawl. As we observe wildlife increasingly encroach upon our suburban homes as a result of being nudged out of their own habitats, it begs the question, where will new migrants find accessible living moving forward? What does that mean for Scarborough’s diverse cultural identity?

Identity - Many first-generation Canadians grapple with their identity, being forced to navigate a space between the cultural traditions of their homelands and the cultural mosaic of Scarborough. Similarly, just as the Rouge that we have explored throughout childhood starts to become familiar, the seasonal changes cause enough erosion to reintroduce the unknown. Ultimately it is this lack of lasting familiarity that makes the Rouge an effective metaphor for first-generation identity in Scarborough.

Project rendering:

Operated by the Ward Museum, Block by Block is a multi-year series of block party art exhibitions that uses oral history interviews and archival research to feature migrant stories of those living in Agincourt, Victoria Park, Regent Park, and Parkdale. As a young research/curator focussing on the Agincourt community, our team created Home, an art exhibition highlghting the stories of ten Agincourt residents from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Online exhibition here.

Writing:
Dumplings, Pasta, and Samosas: The Experience of Lunchtime in Scarborough Schools in the 90s

Press:
CBC
CityNews


Business cards designed for Triangle & Seed, with an augmented reality app which uses image-recognition to play a video on the card.


A story about discovering utopia and consequently overcoming the dangers of comfort.

A look at south-western India from the window of a moving car. With timestamps, parallels, and missed moments.

2015 June 2, 17:29, 00.029s

2015 June 2, 17:30, 44.004s

2015 June 7, 14:13, 39.031s

2015 June 7, 14:15, 12.024s

2015 June 14, 14:18, 30.025s

2015 June 14, 14:18, 31.002s

2015 May 28, 15:11, 11.004s

2015 May 28, 15:13, 56.015s

2015 May 25, 12:33, 49.023s

2015 May 25, 12:33, 59.084s

2015 May 30, 18:19, 32.072s

2015 May 30, 18:20, 38.057s

2015 June 3, 17:24, 23.052s

2015 June 3, 17:24, 26.006s

2015 June 8, 12:39, 59.067s

2015 June 8, 12:40, 46.005s

2015 June 12, 14:12, 51.083s

2015 June 12, 14:13, 17.043s

2015 June 8, 14:44, 44.078s

2015 June 8, 14:44, 45.007s

2015 June 12, 14:17, 35.075s

2015 June 12, 14:17, 45.003s

2015 June 5, 19:10, 34.009s

2015 June 5, 19:40, 35.069s

2015 June 7, 10:20, 07.013s

2015 June 7, 10:20, 37.027s

2015 June 8, 19:46, 40.049s

2015 June 8, 19:46, 41.022s

2015 June 9, 11:59, 39.067s

2015 June 9, 11:59, 40.087s

2015 May 30, 18:30, 36.065s

2015 May 30, 18:30, 37.042s

2015 June 12, 19:49, 17.057s

2015 June 12, 19:50, 08.062s

2015 May 25, 11:31, 01.007s

2015 May 25, 11:31, 09.063s

Where The Trees Speak (Upcoming)

Block By Block

Lotus Eaters

50mm From The Mitsubishi

Triangle & Seed Augmented Reality Business Cards

Other Photos