Atom Egoyan’s Luminato installation a tribute to the late David Pecaut

David Pecaut was quite literally a man who followed his dreams. Shortly before his death from cancer this past December, the co-founder of Luminato sent several letters to friend Atom Egoyan describing the experience of waking up each morning, reports the Star. “As I gradually gain consciousness,” reads one e-mail, “I begin to become aware of my situation and the illness and how much things have changed.” This daily shift from peaceful, ignorant reverie to grim actuality struck Pecaut as a kind of “cinematic experience,” and one he wished to be a presence at the fourth annual festival, which he would not be able to attend.

Solar Breath/Light Air (Northern Caryatids) is Egoyan’s fulfillment of that wish. The installation, which the filmmaker curated, opens to the public this Friday; it couples a dreamy film by Canadian art legend Michael Snow with a response to it by Mani Mazinani (a former student of Egoyan’s). With that kind of talent behind it, we anticipate that the piece will be a fitting love letter to a Toronto immigrant—Pecaut was born in Iowa—who fell head over heels for this city and helped dream up an annual cultural festival to celebrate it.

• Knelman: David Pecaut left a legacy of dreams [Toronto Star]