Halifax Riots (1985)

Halifax Riots is a photographic work shown during a two-day exhibition at eyelevel gallery (Halifax, NS) on May 7-8, 1985, marking the 40th anniversary of the 1945 Halifax riots. Working with an enlarged slide from the Archives of Nova Scotia, "Torched Street Car Barrington Street May 8, 1945", Kennedy paired it with lines he adapted from a newspaper report of the original event, as well as information about the exhibition. 

The frame reads in a running line of text: "Torched Streetcar Barrington St. May 8 1945 A work by Garry Neill Kennedy marking the fortieth anniversary of the Halifax Riots May 7/8 1945 eye level gallery 1585 Barrington st. Halifax Opening reception Tuesday May 7 at 8.00 P.M. 5  million dollar spree on victory in Europe day commercial Halifax wrecked mob rulled city looting brawling and pillaging by military and civilians three people killed countless injured in drunken orgy 211 rioters arrested 564 businesses pillaged liquor stores raided and cleaned out of 65000 quarts of liquor and 8000 cases of beer Photo Archives of Nova Scotia" 

Kennedy further details the work: "During World War II celebrations in Halifax (1945), the Canadian troops rioted. One casualty was a torched Barrington Street trolly. A factual text of the event, appropriated from the local newspaper, is Dymo-taped in black and white around the frame of the large photo made from a negative I found in the Dalhousie University library archives. This augmented archival image is accompanied by a photocopy used to announce the exhibition Burning Halifax Streetcar (eyelevel gallery, 1985), and a slide of the commemoration (birthday) cake that I had made, complete with candles, of a miniature version of the streetcar."

- Garry Neill Kennedy, Oeuvres photographiques / Photoworks, 1969-2011, pg.23