How Will I Know I Am Here

The work of Toby MacLennan deals with issues of death, the body and nature. How Will I Know I Am Here features a wall-sized video projection that is reflected in a small pool of water on the floor. Throughout the film male and female voices tell intimate, dream-like tales, while scenes depicting man’s interaction with nature are shown: a deer walks through an apartment, an elderly couple roam through a field naked, and a man walks along the beach with conch shells tied to his feet. The film is projected from inside a large makeshift deer that stands in the center of the room.

The image of the deer is a significant motif in MacLennan’s work and appears on several occasions. On its significance she has remarked, “The deer is a beautiful, gentle creature ready to spring at any moment. It is said that Buddha’s journey began in the deer park, that the deer represents the highest form of knowledge within yourself.”