Autographed by Matthew Amos
Opening July 9 at 7pm, continues to July 23, 2010
Matthew Amos is an accomplished philographer and has collected more than 1000 autographs from major and micro celebrities from around the world. The gallery will be filled with projections of these signed headshots, creating a visually overwhelming environment of famous faces, while the artist’s voice is heard speaking about his collection, his disabilities, and his life.
Viewers can take home an autographed headshot of Matthew.
Pictures and video from the show
What’s in a Signature?
It’s such a simple thing, a signature. You use your own on an everyday basis to sign for packages, endorse cheques, or ratify contracts. But for a special few, a signature is a prized commodity. It’s something of value, something to be collected.
Few people know that better than Matthew Amos, a young man that’s built an ever growing collection of 1,300-plus autographs that includes some of the biggest names in movies, TV, and journalism, as well as Canadian and American politics. The sheer time, effort and energy dedicated to amassing so many signatures is incalculable, as a collector of any variety will tell you. However, getting a famous movie star or busy political leader to send you their autograph is not quite analogous to walking into a store and buying a rare book or coin.
As you will observe, Matthew’s collection for Ed Video Media Arts Centre, which is simply titled "Autographs”, is not merely limited to a photo with a name and message scribbled in black Sharpie. Included are correspondences, letter traded between himself and various agents and representatives as Matthew went about amassing his collection. One wonders how Matthew is able to find the time to watch his favourite shows like America’s Most Wanted and 24 when he’s reaching out to all their various casts and creators.
To the snobbish, a slideshow of different autographs may not sound very artistically interesting, but the joy of this show is the conversations, the little things you notice. For instance, there’s the way that many news anchors sign their photos with the phrase "Thanks for watching.” One can’t help but wonder if "Thanks for watching” is treated the same in TV News speak as "Have a good summer” is for people you barely know whose yearbook you signed in high school. Food for thought.
For me personally, what’s impressive about this collection is its size and its diversity. In your mind, you count off the various cast members of the numerous TV shows to see if there’s a complete set. You wonder exactly how Matthew knows about so many local anchors from far flung places like Seattle or Phoenix. You can’t help but smile as you look at a personalized letter from Mr. Rogers, or give off a disappointed groan when you see one of the few rejections.
There are the surprises too of course. Only an autograph dedicated to Matthew would give the likes of Karl Rove and Donald Rumsfeld near human levels of warmth and familiarity. There’s also a nearly nostalgic reaction to Canada’s own recent political past with head shots of Sheila Copps and Joe Clark; there’s a kind of awe and "I remember them,” recalling perceptively less partisan ties.
The point is that I don’t think Matthew zeroes in on these people for their celebrity, nor do I think he covets his names in a Gollum-like fit of greed and avarice. He is simply a fan. A promoter. An endorser. And the things he endorses, promotes and is a fan of are the things he likes. For Matthew, getting an autograph is a kin to shaking a hand. It’s a way of getting to know someone. For such an ordinary commodity as a signature, is it wrong to consider it anything more?
-Adam A. Donaldson
Co-Chair, Ed Video Media Arts Centre