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Peter Camani is a Canadian artist and sculptor who currently resides near
Peter Camani's ''Midlothian Castle'', commonly known as ''Screaming Heads'', is a public art installation featuring numerous sculptures, artworks and structures. The monolithic, 20 foot high concrete sculptures range from Munch-like screaming faces to hands, horses, and memorials.
Camani's home is a farm house converted into a castle, topped with a turret resembling a screaming face and a two-headed dragon sitting atop the chimney. Facing the road is a wall topped with busts of people reenacting the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" proverb, while facing the parking lot is a towering metal gate that resembles a spider web.
Camani is responsible for planting many of the trees on his property, which was once barren farmland, as well as propagating spring-fed ponds. The large concrete structures are arranged in such a way that they form the shape of a dragon when viewed from the air, although trees now obscure some of the statues. Camani has explained that his sculptures stand as a warning against environmental degradation, resembling "the earth rebelling against what we’re doing to the land."
Of the public's perception of his work, Camani has commented via his website;
A small screaming head statue can also be found outside the Burk's Falls Welcome Centre.
Camani's grounds are the location of an annual ''Harvest Festival'', a weekend-long event that takes place in mid September showcasing electronic dance musicians, DJs, and other activities.
The large, steel-frame structures on Camani's property were erected by festival organizers to serve as performance and eating venues. While these structures are left bare for most of the year, when covered with fabric they come to resemble a crashed spaceship, pyramids and domes.
File:Midlothian Castle parking lot ghosts.jpg
File:Midlothian_Castle_gate.jpg, The gate to Peter Camani's property as seen from the parking lot.
File:Screaming Heads by Peter Camani.jpg
File:Screaming Heads reaching up.jpg, Some of the Screaming Head statues incorporate hands, while isolated hand statues can also be found on the property.
File:Midlothian_Castle_dome_structures.jpg
File:Screaming Heads statue with hands.jpg
File:Horses at Screaming Heads by Peter Camani.jpg, Horse statues found among the Screaming Heads
Artists's website
Canadian sculptors Canadian male sculptors Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Artists from Ontario Visionary environments {{Canada-sculptor-stub People from Parry Sound District University of Waterloo alumni University of Western Ontario alumni Canadian educators
Burk's Falls, Ontario
Burk's Falls is an incorporated village in the Almaguin Highlands region of Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, located north of Toronto and south of North Bay, Ontario. The village, and the waterfall on the site, were named (for himself) by ...
. His property, the ''Midlothian Castle'', is notable for being an expansive sculpture garden
A sculpture garden or sculpture park is an outdoor garden or park which includes the presentation of sculpture, usually several permanently sited works in durable materials in landscaped surroundings.
A sculpture garden may be private, owned by ...
, featuring countless statues, structures, assemblage artworks and Camani's castle-like house. The location is commonly known as ''Screaming Heads''.
Biography
Peter Camani grew up inHamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...
, and took interest in art at an early age. He attended the University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to "Uptown" Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also operates ...
in Sciences, but in his third year transferred from sciences to the arts. After graduating with a B.A., he went to Western University, later becoming an art teacher at Almaguin Highlands Secondary School
Almaguin Highlands Secondary School (AHSS) is an English State school, public high school located in Strong, Ontario between the towns of South River, Ontario and Sundridge, Ontario. The school is part of the Near North District School Board and is ...
in South River, Ontario
South River is a village on Highway 124 near Algonquin Park in the Almaguin Highlands region of Parry Sound District of Ontario, Canada. It is about halfway between North Bay "ON-11 S: 40 min." and Huntsville "ON-11 N: 45 min." or a 3-hour driv ...
.
Camani began working on his property-wide art project around 1981. Retiring from teaching in 2008, he has continued his creative endeavours, the collection of art on his property ever expanding.
Screaming Heads
Peter Camani's ''Midlothian Castle'', commonly known as ''Screaming Heads'', is a public art installation featuring numerous sculptures, artworks and structures. The monolithic, 20 foot high concrete sculptures range from Munch-like screaming faces to hands, horses, and memorials.
Camani's home is a farm house converted into a castle, topped with a turret resembling a screaming face and a two-headed dragon sitting atop the chimney. Facing the road is a wall topped with busts of people reenacting the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" proverb, while facing the parking lot is a towering metal gate that resembles a spider web.
Camani is responsible for planting many of the trees on his property, which was once barren farmland, as well as propagating spring-fed ponds. The large concrete structures are arranged in such a way that they form the shape of a dragon when viewed from the air, although trees now obscure some of the statues. Camani has explained that his sculptures stand as a warning against environmental degradation, resembling "the earth rebelling against what we’re doing to the land."
Of the public's perception of his work, Camani has commented via his website;
A small screaming head statue can also be found outside the Burk's Falls Welcome Centre.
Harvest Festival
Camani's grounds are the location of an annual ''Harvest Festival'', a weekend-long event that takes place in mid September showcasing electronic dance musicians, DJs, and other activities.
The large, steel-frame structures on Camani's property were erected by festival organizers to serve as performance and eating venues. While these structures are left bare for most of the year, when covered with fabric they come to resemble a crashed spaceship, pyramids and domes.
Media appearances
Camani's castle has been featured several times on Canadian television, including the CBC series ''On The Road Again'', Arthur Black's ''Weird Homes'' and more. Peter Camani was also the subject of the 1996 documentary ''Concrete Ambitions'', a film which won two awards. In 2011, Peter's house was featured in the first episode of MTV's Extreme Cribs.Film
In 2005, Peter Camani, in collaboration with director Dallas Boyes, began production on a fantasy film entitled ''Witch Way''. The film was shot in Screaming Heads and the surrounding Burk's Falls area. Camani employed the help of students from Almaguin Highlands Secondary School, along with local musicians Paul Shillolo and Jeff Stamp. An ''Almaguin News'' article suggests editing for the film was completed sometime in 2008, with a trailer being shared via Camani's old website. However, for unknown reasons, it appears the film never saw a public release.Gallery
References
External links
Artists's website
Canadian sculptors Canadian male sculptors Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Artists from Ontario Visionary environments {{Canada-sculptor-stub People from Parry Sound District University of Waterloo alumni University of Western Ontario alumni Canadian educators