How deep is the difference? Parsing Difference in the Context of Canadian Diversity Through Documents and Documentary: A thesis paper to support the multimedia installation Illegal Entries

This paper follows the blurriness of the concept of difference as it relates to the Canadian idea of diversity, and its manifestation in governmental forms and official documents. It highlights the paradoxical (inconsistent) function of such documents in addressing diversity, individuation and change. This research was informed by the concept of difference, defined (interpreted) by Manuel DeLanda, and is expressed in a multimedia installation titled Illegal Entries, which reconfigures the Canadian Passport Application form (PPTC 153-154) as a three-dimensional space. This installation shows viewers that this official document, which operates to legitimize state power over citizens’ bodies, is designed to undermine the concept of difference, which is at the core of individuation and is the backbone of diversity and multiculturalism in Canada. This paper provides an account of how a document is transformed into a documentary. The installation creates a bilingual, audio-visual conundrum that consists of institutional texts, commands and warnings. This is juxtaposed with animated graphics, icons and shapes that appear in the document in addition to the image of the passport ID photograph.