Mile Zero Dance Presents: Monolith

Made possible by The Canada Council for the Arts, the film Monolith by dancer & artist Tia Ashley Kushniruk illustrates how women are exploited by powerful figures, oftentimes under the guise of good intentions.

Monolith's main character, Subject 71 is confined to an existence where she must meet the expectations and cater to the demands of The Monitor: a narcissistic and malicious being whose masked face continues to glare with manipulative expression. The Monitor’s commands may be delivered with grace but are in fact insane and inhumane. Subject 71 has no choice but to smile and appease. Her own existence, purpose, and dreams are directly tied to The Monitor’s whims and can be taken away at any moment.

The character of The Monitor, a face-mirroring animation, was created by Kristen Innes Stambolic and is heavily inspired by the character Hexadecimal, known for her villainous facial expressions, from the Canadian computer-animated TV series Reboot. The production’s writer and director, Rizwan Mohuiddin, also voices the character.