Trending...
- Chicago: Mayor Brandon Johnson, DOH Break Ground on LeClaire Courts North, Bringing 124 Affordable Homes to Garfield Ridge
- Citizens for West Virginia Election Integrity Urges "FOR" on Amendment 1
- Best Hardwood Floors for Pets: Top Choices Explained
Created by Yury Goncharov and Alina Tacmelova at Toronto International Film Festival's
personal invitation, the monumental public artwork explores cinema as a living archive of
collective memory.
personal invitation, the monumental public artwork explores cinema as a living archive of
collective memory.
TORONTO - illiNews -- Created exclusively for TIFF at the festival's invitation, "The Tree of Cinema" by Toronto-based artists Yury Goncharov and Alina Tacmelova marked the opening of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. The installation appeared on Festival Street near Roy Thomson Hall from September 10–13.
Standing 11 feet tall with a nine-foot-wide canopy, the sculpture reimagines a tree through the materials and imagery of filmmaking. Its patinated steel trunk evokes cinema's industrial foundations. Hundreds of flowing strips resembling film combine recognizable cinematic moments with photographs of audiences watching, gathering, laughing, crying, and reflecting.
More on illi News
Drawing on the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge, the work explores how stories and experiences pass between generations. It also takes inspiration from Agnès Varda's human approach to memory, everyday life, and filmmaking.
"We wanted to give physical form to something that usually remains invisible: what people carry with them after a film ends," the artists explain.
Visitors could walk around and beneath the canopy, entering a structure that celebrates cinema as a shared experience. As films are increasingly watched alone on personal screens, the installation highlighted the social ritual of strangers gathering around the same story. Festival Street audiences responded enthusiastically, while TIFF organizers noted its emotional connection with viewers.
Art critic and AICA member Julia Sysalova observed that placing spectators alongside film imagery gives audiences a visible role in cinematic history, turning the act of looking into a spatial encounter.
Goncharov contributed sculptural thinking, engineering, and material experimentation; Tacmelova brought research into memory, human connection, and participation. Toronto-area studio Custom Engineered Arts fabricated the installation, translating the concept into a large-scale sculpture. Following its Festival Street presentation, the work will move to TIFF Lightbox, the festival's year-round Toronto home.
More on illi News
About the Artists
Yury Goncharov, born in Ukraine and based in Toronto, works across sculpture, collectible design, and public installation. His work has appeared at Isola Design Festival and Good Selection during Milan Design Week, the Interior Design Show Toronto, and DesignTO Festival.
Alina Tacmelova is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist and documentary filmmaker working across installation, moving image, and performance. Her film Pearls of Memories won Best Experimental Film at the 2026 Swedish International Film Festival and received an Honorable Mention in the Best Inspirational Film category at WSXA Paris in 2026.
Standing 11 feet tall with a nine-foot-wide canopy, the sculpture reimagines a tree through the materials and imagery of filmmaking. Its patinated steel trunk evokes cinema's industrial foundations. Hundreds of flowing strips resembling film combine recognizable cinematic moments with photographs of audiences watching, gathering, laughing, crying, and reflecting.
More on illi News
- Heritage at South Brunswick Announces Special Townhome Mortgage Rate Buydown
- Heritage at Hopewell Announces Limited-Time Mortgage Rate Buydown on Select Quick Move-In Townhomes
- Air Force Veteran Sean Douglas Delivers Powerful Suicide Prevention Presentations to Hundreds of Marines at Camp Pendleton
- Renew Integrative Health Publishes Updated Peptide Therapy Guide to Help Patients Understand Their Options
- AI Agents Are Getting Their Own Computers. HRTech Leading in Vertical Harness Development
Drawing on the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge, the work explores how stories and experiences pass between generations. It also takes inspiration from Agnès Varda's human approach to memory, everyday life, and filmmaking.
"We wanted to give physical form to something that usually remains invisible: what people carry with them after a film ends," the artists explain.
Visitors could walk around and beneath the canopy, entering a structure that celebrates cinema as a shared experience. As films are increasingly watched alone on personal screens, the installation highlighted the social ritual of strangers gathering around the same story. Festival Street audiences responded enthusiastically, while TIFF organizers noted its emotional connection with viewers.
Art critic and AICA member Julia Sysalova observed that placing spectators alongside film imagery gives audiences a visible role in cinematic history, turning the act of looking into a spatial encounter.
Goncharov contributed sculptural thinking, engineering, and material experimentation; Tacmelova brought research into memory, human connection, and participation. Toronto-area studio Custom Engineered Arts fabricated the installation, translating the concept into a large-scale sculpture. Following its Festival Street presentation, the work will move to TIFF Lightbox, the festival's year-round Toronto home.
More on illi News
- UK Financial Ltd Announces Two-for-One Upgrade of Maya 3 to Maya 3G Token Using Chainlink Cross-Chain Technology
- MAZ6R CLAN (MAZ6R), Launches A New Visual Concept in Website Design!
- Isringhausen Imports to Host Exclusive Launch Party for the All-New Porsche Cayenne Electric
- Critical FDA Milestone much Closer as Preservative-Free Ketamine Review Advances: NRx Pharmaceuticals (N A S D A Q: NRXP)
- Midwest Pond Features Advises Chicago-Area Pond Owners to Prepare for Winter as October Freeze
About the Artists
Yury Goncharov, born in Ukraine and based in Toronto, works across sculpture, collectible design, and public installation. His work has appeared at Isola Design Festival and Good Selection during Milan Design Week, the Interior Design Show Toronto, and DesignTO Festival.
Alina Tacmelova is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist and documentary filmmaker working across installation, moving image, and performance. Her film Pearls of Memories won Best Experimental Film at the 2026 Swedish International Film Festival and received an Honorable Mention in the Best Inspirational Film category at WSXA Paris in 2026.
Media Contact
mail@collection-pr.com
mail@collection-pr.com
Source: Alina Tacmelova and Yury Goncharov
0 Comments
Latest on illi News
- Chicago: Mayor Brandon Johnson, DPD Congratulate Griffin Museum of Science and Industry on South Portico Groundbreaking
- Creole101 Launches Multilingual Dictionary App with 50,000+ Entries, Vocabulary Games and Haitian Cultural Resources
- Mayor Brandon Johnson Releases 2027 Budget Engagement Report: Chicagoans Call For Taxes on Corporations, Protection of City Services, and Investment
- Hilton Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa Introduces Level 37 Sky Lounge by Casamigos
- Self-Published Dad's Santa Book Finally Found After 3 Years on Amazon
- Meta Partnership Expanding as Omni One Orders Surge 3X -New Consumer Bundles, Defense Opportunities & AI Robotics: Virtuix Holdings: N A S D A Q: VTIX
- Patented Plumb Rite Adjustable Waste & Overflow Assembly Introduces Flexible Approach to Bathtub Plumbing Installation
- Best Hardwood Floors for Pets: Top Choices Explained
- Citizens for West Virginia Election Integrity Urges "FOR" on Amendment 1
- Vegan Kingz Expands Direct-Import Wholesale Lineup to Help Commercial Kitchens Cut Ingredient Costs
- New STLE Special Report Examines Next-Generation Gear Lubricants for Electric Vehicles
- Everything Policy Unveils Their Classroom Resources Behind Every Policy Topic
- Acuvance Survey Finds ERP Integration Remains a Key Challenge as Healthcare Organizations Prepare for AI
- Constantine "Costa" Kapothanasis II Acquires The Lubri-Loy Company, Carrying a 77-Year-Old American Lubricant Brand Into Its Next Era
- LS2 Partners with Angels Of Dirt's "Next Chapter Racer" Series Celebrating Women and Girls in Motorsports
- Danish company biosuite introduces biotech procurement software to track outsourced R&D commitments
- Industrial & systems engineering educator and professional to lead global strategic partnerships for professional society
- Convergence of AI, Wearable Technology, Remote Patient Monitoring and Real-World Healthcare: PomDoctor Ltd. (N A S D A Q: POM)
- Service Guys Urges Ontario Homeowners to Book Chimney Cleaning and WETT Inspections Before the 2026 Heating Season
- WOWX Completes Its Transition from CEX to Decentralized Derivatives Infrastructure