ROSSO

“Rosso” is an exhibition comprising an HD video installation attempting to evidence a contemporary passion still lingering from the 1982 FIFA World Cup onan international, local and personal level.It could be argued this signature sporting event initiated the notion of Toronto as a world-class city. The project was directed by New Genres artist Otino Corsano for Ocean Course Films, a collaborative entity he established, comprised of a specialized core production team.

The imagery focusses on a tapestry of Southern Ontario environments in order to present a narrative delineating the influence of a specifically Italian natured globalism on Canadian soil. A new contemporary aesthetic is presented, reflecting the earlier eighties fusion of Italian and Canadian cultures and how this melding has activated poignant perspectives and discourses on immigration, diaspora and multiculturalism.

Composer John Mark Sherlockorchestrated the musicalsoundtracks for each of the three chapters featured in “Rosso”. The video also features an Italian narrator, played by voice actor Alex Martinelli, reflecting poetically on various stages of his life in three cyclical chapters. The first chapter traces his first memories as a youth hearing the voice of his father as if in a waking dream. The second chapterweaves a romantic narrative from seemingly unrelated location imagery - vineyard, autobody shop, factory and sports fields. The final third chapter concludeswith an optimistic view of national unity paradoxically built from both a highly personal vision and a global mosaic of perspectives.

Special Thanks to Alessandro Ruggera, editor Jeff Hamill, Alexandra Landon Richardson, Manuel De Luca, R. Ferri Automotive, European Auto Body, J.R. Martino, Budds’ Group of Companies, and The York School. “Rosso” is lovingly dedicated to Otino Corsano Sr.