University of Toronto architecture graduate Charles Stankievech’s exhibition entitled “Monuments as Ruin” has captivated audiences since its opening at Agnes Etherington Art Centre (AEAC) on Jan. 10.

The first part of the exhibition, which was set up on Jan. 10 in the Samuel L. Jacks gallery, features scale model sculptures of Stankievech’s bunkers which he refers to as “outpost surveillance technologies”. The bunkers are replicas of those designed by the Germans in World War II.

Along with the three sculptures stationed across the room, black and white photographs of life-sized pieces of Stankievech’s work in an outdoor beach setting hang across the walls.

Other features include three pieces of Stankievech’s personal meteorite collection, which he said inspired the shapes in his work, and a part of a novel by Canadian sci-fi writer A.E. Van Vogt.

This gives gallery-goers a preview and context before they encounter the large piece, and the main part of the exhibition that lies within the next room.

Walking into the Contemporary Features Gallery is more of an immersive experience than an exhibit. In what’s both an auditory and visual art piece, Stankievech aims to stimulate an otherworldly setting with both eerie and muffled sounds created with solely a Saxophone and percussions. A video slideshow of his gigantic bunkers in different beach settings accompanies the sonic element.

The video slideshow, which is 19 minutes long, begins in the darkness with a camera rotation that makes the viewer feel as though they’re floating in space. As time progresses, it becomes apparent that the video is being filmed from within Stankievech’s life sized bunkers.

After emerging from the bunker, the black–and–white video continues to show rotations of the outside of the bunkers, showing many different perspectives of these densely shaped structures in their beach setting.

Often described as chunks or “parabolic discs”, the shapes of these structures represent centered objects which are built for people to look outside and be safe inside. These structures were designed without a foundation and a solid cast and are designed to roll and move as the Earth moves.

Stankievech draws this inspiration from WWII bunkers, which were designed to avoid destruction during explosions.

This exhibition is more difficult to swallow than a simple collection of paintings and photographs. Because of the several different mediums used and facts presented, there is a lot of context and many connections to be made by viewers.

To fully understand and appreciate, this exhibition requires extensive thought and a genuine interest in background knowledge of the art.

The Monuments of Ruin exhibition runs at the AEAC from Jan. 10-April 12.