Skip Navigation
Created with Fabric.js 3.6.3

Jorge Ayala: A Su Propio Ritmo (At Its Own Rhythm)

January 24 – February 25, 2018
Student Gallery, The Image Centre (formerly Ryerson Image Centre)

A country without images is a country that doesn’t exist
– Julio García Espinosa (1926–2016)

A Su Propio Ritmo (At Its Own Rhythm) is the first of a series of installations that explores the documentary heritage of Latin America as reflected on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. Established in 1992, the Register is an international initiative dedicated to protecting the world’s documentary heritage.

At Its Own Rhythm focuses on the Register’s archive of Noticiero ICAIC Latinoamericano (ICAIC Latin American Newsreel). Launched in 1960 and produced weekly by the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) until its demise in 1990, the Noticiero documented the revolutionary movements of Cuba and the so-called “Third World” with a sense of urgency. In 2012, and after years of neglect, its original negatives were included as part of Memory of the World, and are now restored and digitized, thanks to a bi-national agreement signed with France’s Institut national de l'audiovisuel (INA).

A Su Propio Ritmo (At Its Own Rhythm) reinterprets the audiovisual legacy of the Cuban Revolution, as seen through the lens of the Noticiero ICAIC. By using montage techniques that echo the aesthetics and ideas about the role of documentary filmmaking championed by its director, Santiago Álvarez, the film is a reminder of the powerful imagery created by ICAIC, and the role Cuba played in reshaping the iconography of the revolutionary movements of the world.





Event(s):

Opening Party
Wednesday, January 24
6:00–8:00 PM

Exhibition Tours
Daily 2:30 PM

All events take place at The Image Centre (formerly Ryerson Image Centre), unless otherwise noted

Fig. 1

Excerpt from Jorge Ayala: A Su Propio Ritmo (At Its Own Rhythm), 2017. Courtesy of the artist

Someone looking a strip of negatives through a magnifying glass
Fig. 2

Jorge Ayala, still from A Su Propio Ritmo (At Its Own Rythm), 2017, video installation. Courtesy of the artist

Artist Bio

Jorge Ayala

Jorge Ayala is a Toronto artist whose practice explores issues of temporality, ephemerality and immersive experiences, with a current focus on themes of memory, identity, and migration in Latin American cinema.

Ayala holds a Master’s degree in Documentary Media, and a Bachelor’s in New Media from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) (Canada). He has also studied at the Hochschule der Medien in Stuttgart (Germany) and IRCAM in Paris, and works as a freelance interactive media programmer and producer.

Installation Shots

Fig. 1

Jorge Ayala: A Su Proprio Ritmo (At Its Own Rhythm) (installation view), 2018 © James Morley, The Image Centre

Fig. 2

Jorge Ayala: A Su Proprio Ritmo (At Its Own Rhythm) (installation view), 2018 © James Morley, The Image Centre

Fig. 3

Jorge Ayala: A Su Proprio Ritmo (At Its Own Rhythm) (installation view), 2018 © James Morley, The Image Centre

Upcoming Exhibitions

Fig.
Fig.