Edie Steiner Fonds

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Biographical History


Date 195[?]-Present

Edith (Edie) Steiner is a Toronto based photographer, filmmaker, composer, writer, and teacher. Born in Germany, Steiner emigrated to Canada with her parents in the 1950s, and her family settled in Manitouwadge, in Northern Ontario. Steiner moved to Toronto in the 1970s and pursued a degree in Media Studies from the Ryerson Institute of Technology (now Toronto Metropolitan University), specializing in fine art photography.
After graduating in 1973, Steiner became a freelance photographer, and she focused on documenting Toronto’s burgeoning punk and new wave scenes, as well as portraits of musicians. Her photographs began to make the pages of “Night Out,” “Today,” and “Impulse” magazine. Some of her notable portrait subjects at this time included Patti Smith, Debbie Harry of Blondie, and Rough Trade.
In the early 1980s, Steiner joined the experimental film collective, The Funnel, where she became interested in Super 8 filmmaking. Here, she produced several experimental short films on Super 8. As she was also composing music and playing in musical groups at the time, her film screenings often had a live music or performance aspect to them. Steiner also continued her photography, exhibiting her work at the Funnel and other galleries in Toronto. Around this time, her focus began to shift from the music scene and portraits to urban objects and landscapes.
Steiner branched out into narrative filmmaking, joining LIFT (Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto) in 1985. She began to write, direct, and produce films on 16mm, including “Places to Stay,” a film about Steiner’s experience as a German émigré; “Roses are Blue,” a lush, surreal film about the healing power of music; and “Felicity’s View,” a mediation on aging and desire. Steiner continued to compose music for her films, and frequently collaborated with other musicians including Chip Yarwood, Malcolm Lewis, Colin Offord, and Daniel Rojas.
Through the 1990s, Steiner’s work in both film and photography began to focus on social justice and environmental themes. In “Northland: Long Journey,” Steiner revisited both her hometown, Manitouwadge, as well the death of her father due to work-related illness. Steiner’s further explored the environment of Northern Ontario in her photo series “Northland,” as well her documentary film “Conversations on the Lake.” In the early 2000s, Steiner began to document the changes to Toronto’s waterfront wrought by development, which became the film and photo series “Views from Home: Facing North.” Her recent film, “Borderland Memories” explores the natural and built environments of Eastern Europe, as well as the ideas of memory, family, and nation.
Steiner earned an MA (2006) and PhD (2014) in Environmental Studies from York University, in Toronto, and she has taught at several Canadian universities. She is a member of the Association for Literature, Environment, and Culture in Canada (ALECC); the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC); The Film-Makers’ Cooperative (NACG); Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography; the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN); and Vtape. Some of her early photographic works can be found at the National Gallery of Canada.

Extent and Medium

48 audio recordings
• 37 audio cassettes, RT 19:58:33
• 5 audio cassettes : DAT, RT 2:29:20
• 6 optical discs : CD, CD-R, audio, RT: 3:37:46
6 data discs
• 6 optical discs : CD-R ; data
94 graphics (16 b&w, 78 colour)
• 2 bookmarks : colour ; 3 x 9 in.
• 1 book cover proof : colour ; 6 x 9 in.
• 1 cassette insert : colour ; 4 x 4 in.
• 3 CD booklets : colour ; 5 x 5 in.
• 4 CD case inserts : colour ; dimensions variable
• 1 flyer : b&w ; 4 x 6 in.
• 1 flyer : b&w ; 5 x 8 in.
• 3 flyers : b&w ; 8 1/2 x 11 in.
• 1 flyer : colour ; 4 x 8 in.
• 3 flyers : colour ; 8 1/2 x 11 in.
• 1 record sleeve : b&w ; 7 x 7 in.
• 2 record sleeves : colour ; 7 x 7 in.
• 9 record sleeves : colour ; 12 x 12 in.
• 3 postcards : b&w ; 4 x 6 in.
• 1 postcard : b&w ; 5 x 7 in.
• 24 postcards : colour ; 4 x 6 in.
• 14 postcards : colour ; 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 in.
• 1 promotional card : b&w ; 11 x 17 in., folded
• 4 promotional cards : colour ; dimensions variable
• 6 posters : b&w ; dimensions variable
• 4 posters : colour ; 10 x 16 in.
• 4 posters : colour ; 11 x 17 in.
• 1 poster : colour ; 12 x 22 in.
36 moving images (1 b&w, 35 colour)
• 1 reel : b&w print ; Super 8mm, 50 ft., RT 0:03:00
• 30 reels : colour print : Super 8mm, 2600 ft., RT 2:32:20
• 2 reels : colour print ; 16mm, 800 ft., RT 0:22:12
• 1 reel : colour answer print ; 16mm, 750 ft., RT 0:20:50
• 1 reel : colour release print ; 16mm, 650 ft., RT 0:18:03
• 1 reel : colour release print, optical sound ; 16mm, 750 ft., RT 0:20:50
10,165 photograph (6,676 b&w, 3,489 colour)
• 22 contact sheets : b&w ; dimensions variable
• 145 contact sheets : b&w ; 8 x 10 in.
• 1 frame internegative ; b&w ; 120mm
• 6 prints : b&w ; dimensions variable
• 12 prints : b&w ; 4 x 5 in.
• 9 prints : b&w ; 4 x 6 in.
• 12 prints : b&w ; 5 x 7 in.
• 26 prints : b&w ; 5 x 8 in.
• 132 prints : b&w ; 8 x 10 in.
• 10 prints : b&w ; 11 x 14 in.
• 8 prints : b&w ; 16 x 20 in.
• 1 print : b&w ; 20 x 24 in., painted
• 5840 frame negatives : b&w ; 35mm
• 472 frame negatives : b&w ; 120mm
• 1 transparency : b&w ; 4 x 5 in.
• 31 contact sheets : colour ; dimensions variable
• 51 contact sheets : colour ; 8 x 10 in.
• 91 prints : colour ; dimensions variable
• 33 prints : colour ; 4 x 5 in.
• 113 prints : colour ; 4 x 6 in.
• 18 prints : colour ; 8 x 10 in.
• 89 prints : colour ; 16 x 20 in.
• 91 prints : colour ; 20 x 24 in.
• 1275 frame negatives : colour ; 35mm
• 1341 frame negatives : colour ; 120mm
• 4 transparencies : colour ; 35mm, unmounted
• 331 transparencies : colour ; 35mm, mounted
35 discs containing 929 digital photographs
• 4 optical discs : CD-R ; 328 PCD files
• 3 optical discs : CD-R ; 12 TIFF files
• 28 optical discs : CD-R ; 588 JPEG files, 1 TIFF file
0.17m textual materials
• 112 video recordings
• 2 digital video discs : BluRay, RT: 2:02:00
• 16 digital video discs : DVD, RT 5:41:49
• 13 video cassettes : Betacam SP, RT: 3:12:20
• 11 video cassettes : Digital Betacam, RT: 3:37:00
• 1 video cassette : HDCAM, RT: 0:43:40
• 45 video cassettes : MiniDV, RT: 44:07:00
• 24 video cassettes : VHS, RT: 17:21:30
The records in this fonds include Steiner’s photography, from her student work, to her documentation of the Toronto music scene and music portraits, to her exhibition work. Also included is a selection of published work and commercial photographs. The collection also includes Steiner’s Super 8mm films and recordings of live musical performances, as well as Steiner’s narrative and documentary films. The fonds consists of five series, based on the creator’s major artistic and creative activities, and are arranged in rough chronological order. The series are as follows:
1. Series One: Narrative and Documentary Films
2. Series Two: Super 8mm and Performance
3. Series Three: Works in Audio
4. Series Four: Photography
5. Series Five: Creative Writing
The first series, Narrative and Documentary Films, is divided into four subseries. The first, Subseries One: Film elements and masters includes the masters and audio/visual elements of Steiner’s narrative and documentary films shot on 16mm and video up to “Borderland Memories.” The second, Subseries Two: Film Research, consists of a series of research interviews shot on video for a project entitled “Dreams of Solidarity.” The third sub-series, Subseries Three: Film Promotion, Exhibition, includes textual and graphic records related to the production and promotion of Steiner’s narrative and documentary films. The final subseries, Subseries Four: Film Stills Photography and Promotional Shots, includes prints and negatives of film stills and promotional shots of Steiner’s narrative film projects “Places to Stay” and “Felicity’s View.”
The second series, Super 8mm and Performance, is divided into two subseries. The first, Subseries One: Films and Soundtracks includes Steiner’s finished Super 8 films, as well as recordings of her live musical accompaniments to these films on cassette and in some cases, compact disc. The series also includes VHS and Betacam SP copies of Steiner’s final Super 8 film “Who is #1?”. The second, Subseries Two: Outtakes and Works in Progress, consists of outtakes and miscellaneous Super 8 film reels.
The third series, Works in Audio, is divided into two subseries. The first, Subseries One: Music Recordings and Performances consists of audio and video recordings of Steiner’s original music, solo and in collaboration with other artists. Included in this series is a recording of Steiner playing with her band The Elementals, and several recordings of Steiner’s cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line.” It also features recordings of Steiner’s collaborations with Chip Yarwood, Malcolm Lewis, and Colin Offord. Finally, it includes both audio and video recordings of Steiner’s work with The Band That Dare Not Speak Its Name. The second subseries, Subseries Two: Radio Interviews includes recordings of Steiner being interviewed and playing music at various Canadian radio stations.
Series Four, Photography, is divided into seven subseries. The first, Subseries One: Portraits, Fashion, Landscapes consists of prints, contact sheets, and negatives of Steiner’s portrait photography work from the 1970s to the 2000s. Portrait subjects include Toronto musicians, artists, filmmakers, writers and poets – many of them friends and contemporaries of Steiner. This series also features Steiner’s photos and portraits of musical artists Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, Lydia Lunch, Rough Trade, Bryan Adams, and author Margaret Laurence. There is also a small collection of fashion photography, as well as two large format landscape photos. Subseries Two: Photo Exhibitions, features negatives and proofs of work featured in exhibition, as well as large format exhibition prints. Subseries Three: Travel Photos (for Exhibitions) consists of negatives and prints of travel photography. Subseries Four: Projects and New Works consists of negatives and a videotape related to a photography project entitled “Episodes in Dreamtime,” as well as one roll of test negatives shot in 2021. Subseries Five: Photography Publications consists of a publication entitled “Great Lakes Logia,” for which Steiner contributed photographs. Subseries Six: Various Events and Arts Documentation consists of various photographs and negatives documenting Steiner’s various artistic endeavours over the years, including live performances, music, openings of gallery shows, directing, and teaching. The final subseries, Subseries Seven: Commercial/Published Work includes newspaper and magazine clippings of Steiner’s published photography, as well as posters, album covers, promotional cards, and postcards, for which Steiner was the photographer.
The final series, Series Five: Creative Writing, consists of a zine called “Gathering Blossoms Under Fire,” for which Steiner contributed an essay.
This fonds includes textual and audio-visual material relating to the following film productions:
• Places to Stay
• Roses are Blue
• Felicity’s View
• Northland: Long Journey
• Conversations on the Lake
• Borderland Memories
This fonds includes audio-visual material relating to the following film productions:
• You Always Think About Things Like That
• Post-Industrial
• These Experiments
• Dreams of Solidarity
• Fake Milk Commercial (Super 8mm short)
• White Flag (Super 8mm short)
• Dance Party (Super 8mm short)
• Examination Aboard a UFO (Super 8mm short)
• Eclipse (Super 8mm short)
• Happy Holidays (Super 8mm short)
• Northern Journeys (Super 8mm short)
• Chronicle (Super 8mm short)
• Symphonic References (Super 8mm short)
• Episodes (Super 8mm short)
• Who is #1 (Super 8mm short)
This fonds includes photographic material relating to the following exhibitions and photo series:
• Painted Photographs
• Mostly Rock & Roll
• Urban Underground
• Residual Landscapes
• Recent Work
• Earth and Bone
• Day + Night
• New Work
• US Shrines
• Great Lakes
• Northland
• The Artifice of Nature (sometimes titled The Nature of Artifice)
• Condo Boom!
• Views From Home: Facing North
• Landscape as Power
• The Poetry of Chance
• Abject Transformations

Conditions governing access

Preservation concerns may limit access, consult archivist.
  Full Record in Discover Archives

Edie Steiner Fonds

Description
The records in this fonds include Steiner’s photography, from her student work, to her documentation of the Toronto music scene and music portraits, to her exhibition work. Also included is a selection of published work and commercial photographs. The collection also includes Steiner’s Super 8mm films and recordings of live musical performances, as well as Steiner’s narrative and documentary films. The fonds consists of five series, based on the creator’s major artistic and creative activities, and are arranged in rough chronological order. The series are as follows: 1. Series One: Narrative and Documentary Films 2. Series Two: Super 8mm and Performance 3. Series Three: Works in Audio 4. Series Four: Photography 5. Series Five: Creative Writing The first series, Narrative and Documentary Films, is divided into four subseries. The first, Subseries One: Film elements and masters includes the masters and audio/visual elements of Steiner’s narrative and documentary films shot on 16mm and video up to “Borderland Memories.” The second, Subseries Two: Film Research, consists of a series of research interviews shot on video for a project entitled “Dreams of Solidarity.” The third sub-series, Subseries Three: Film Promotion, Exhibition, includes textual and graphic records related to the production and promotion of Steiner’s narrative and documentary films. The final subseries, Subseries Four: Film Stills Photography and Promotional Shots, includes prints and negatives of film stills and promotional shots of Steiner’s narrative film projects “Places to Stay” and “Felicity’s View.” The second series, Super 8mm and Performance, is divided into two subseries. The first, Subseries One: Films and Soundtracks includes Steiner’s finished Super 8 films, as well as recordings of her live musical accompaniments to these films on cassette and in some cases, compact disc. The series also includes VHS and Betacam SP copies of Steiner’s final Super 8 film “Who is #1?”. The second, Subseries Two: Outtakes and Works in Progress, consists of outtakes and miscellaneous Super 8 film reels. The third series, Works in Audio, is divided into two subseries. The first, Subseries One: Music Recordings and Performances consists of audio and video recordings of Steiner’s original music, solo and in collaboration with other artists. Included in this series is a recording of Steiner playing with her band The Elementals, and several recordings of Steiner’s cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line.” It also features recordings of Steiner’s collaborations with Chip Yarwood, Malcolm Lewis, and Colin Offord. Finally, it includes both audio and video recordings of Steiner’s work with The Band That Dare Not Speak Its Name. The second subseries, Subseries Two: Radio Interviews includes recordings of Steiner being interviewed and playing music at various Canadian radio stations. Series Four, Photography, is divided into seven subseries. The first, Subseries One: Portraits, Fashion, Landscapes consists of prints, contact sheets, and negatives of Steiner’s portrait photography work from the 1970s to the 2000s. Portrait subjects include Toronto musicians, artists, filmmakers, writers and poets – many of them friends and contemporaries of Steiner. This series also features Steiner’s photos and portraits of musical artists Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, Lydia Lunch, Rough Trade, Bryan Adams, and author Margaret Laurence. There is also a small collection of fashion photography, as well as two large format landscape photos. Subseries Two: Photo Exhibitions, features negatives and proofs of work featured in exhibition, as well as large format exhibition prints. Subseries Three: Travel Photos (for Exhibitions) consists of negatives and prints of travel photography. Subseries Four: Projects and New Works consists of negatives and a videotape related to a photography project entitled “Episodes in Dreamtime,” as well as one roll of test negatives shot in 2021. Subseries Five: Photography Publications consists of a publication entitled “Great Lakes Logia,” for which Steiner contributed photographs. Subseries Six: Various Events and Arts Documentation consists of various photographs and negatives documenting Steiner’s various artistic endeavours over the years, including live performances, music, openings of gallery shows, directing, and teaching. The final subseries, Subseries Seven: Commercial/Published Work includes newspaper and magazine clippings of Steiner’s published photography, as well as posters, album covers, promotional cards, and postcards, for which Steiner was the photographer. The final series, Series Five: Creative Writing, consists of a zine called “Gathering Blossoms Under Fire,” for which Steiner contributed an essay. This fonds includes textual and audio-visual material relating to the following film productions: • Places to Stay • Roses are Blue • Felicity’s View • Northland: Long Journey • Conversations on the Lake • Borderland Memories This fonds includes audio-visual material relating to the following film productions: • You Always Think About Things Like That • Post-Industrial • These Experiments • Dreams of Solidarity • Fake Milk Commercial (Super 8mm short) • White Flag (Super 8mm short) • Dance Party (Super 8mm short) • Examination Aboard a UFO (Super 8mm short) • Eclipse (Super 8mm short) • Happy Holidays (Super 8mm short) • Northern Journeys (Super 8mm short) • Chronicle (Super 8mm short) • Symphonic References (Super 8mm short) • Episodes (Super 8mm short) • Who is #1 (Super 8mm short) This fonds includes photographic material relating to the following exhibitions and photo series: • Painted Photographs • Mostly Rock & Roll • Urban Underground • Residual Landscapes • Recent Work • Earth and Bone • Day + Night • New Work • US Shrines • Great Lakes • Northland • The Artifice of Nature (sometimes titled The Nature of Artifice) • Condo Boom! • Views From Home: Facing North • Landscape as Power • The Poetry of Chance • Abject Transformations
Extent and Medium
48 audio recordings
• 37 audio cassettes, RT 19:58:33
• 5 audio cassettes : DAT, RT 2:29:20
• 6 optical discs : CD, CD-R, audio, RT: 3:37:46
6 data discs
• 6 optical discs : CD-R ; data
94 graphics (16 b&w, 78 colour)
• 2 bookmarks : colour ; 3 x 9 in.
• 1 book cover proof : colour ; 6 x 9 in.
• 1 cassette insert : colour ; 4 x 4 in.
• 3 CD booklets : colour ; 5 x 5 in.
• 4 CD case inserts : colour ; dimensions variable
• 1 flyer : b&w ; 4 x 6 in.
• 1 flyer : b&w ; 5 x 8 in.
• 3 flyers : b&w ; 8 1/2 x 11 in.
• 1 flyer : colour ; 4 x 8 in.
• 3 flyers : colour ; 8 1/2 x 11 in.
• 1 record sleeve : b&w ; 7 x 7 in.
• 2 record sleeves : colour ; 7 x 7 in.
• 9 record sleeves : colour ; 12 x 12 in.
• 3 postcards : b&w ; 4 x 6 in.
• 1 postcard : b&w ; 5 x 7 in.
• 24 postcards : colour ; 4 x 6 in.
• 14 postcards : colour ; 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 in.
• 1 promotional card : b&w ; 11 x 17 in., folded
• 4 promotional cards : colour ; dimensions variable
• 6 posters : b&w ; dimensions variable
• 4 posters : colour ; 10 x 16 in.
• 4 posters : colour ; 11 x 17 in.
• 1 poster : colour ; 12 x 22 in.
36 moving images (1 b&w, 35 colour)
• 1 reel : b&w print ; Super 8mm, 50 ft., RT 0:03:00
• 30 reels : colour print : Super 8mm, 2600 ft., RT 2:32:20
• 2 reels : colour print ; 16mm, 800 ft., RT 0:22:12
• 1 reel : colour answer print ; 16mm, 750 ft., RT 0:20:50
• 1 reel : colour release print ; 16mm, 650 ft., RT 0:18:03
• 1 reel : colour release print, optical sound ; 16mm, 750 ft., RT 0:20:50
10,165 photograph (6,676 b&w, 3,489 colour)
• 22 contact sheets : b&w ; dimensions variable
• 145 contact sheets : b&w ; 8 x 10 in.
• 1 frame internegative ; b&w ; 120mm
• 6 prints : b&w ; dimensions variable
• 12 prints : b&w ; 4 x 5 in.
• 9 prints : b&w ; 4 x 6 in.
• 12 prints : b&w ; 5 x 7 in.
• 26 prints : b&w ; 5 x 8 in.
• 132 prints : b&w ; 8 x 10 in.
• 10 prints : b&w ; 11 x 14 in.
• 8 prints : b&w ; 16 x 20 in.
• 1 print : b&w ; 20 x 24 in., painted
• 5840 frame negatives : b&w ; 35mm
• 472 frame negatives : b&w ; 120mm
• 1 transparency : b&w ; 4 x 5 in.
• 31 contact sheets : colour ; dimensions variable
• 51 contact sheets : colour ; 8 x 10 in.
• 91 prints : colour ; dimensions variable
• 33 prints : colour ; 4 x 5 in.
• 113 prints : colour ; 4 x 6 in.
• 18 prints : colour ; 8 x 10 in.
• 89 prints : colour ; 16 x 20 in.
• 91 prints : colour ; 20 x 24 in.
• 1275 frame negatives : colour ; 35mm
• 1341 frame negatives : colour ; 120mm
• 4 transparencies : colour ; 35mm, unmounted
• 331 transparencies : colour ; 35mm, mounted
35 discs containing 929 digital photographs
• 4 optical discs : CD-R ; 328 PCD files
• 3 optical discs : CD-R ; 12 TIFF files
• 28 optical discs : CD-R ; 588 JPEG files, 1 TIFF file
0.17m textual materials
• 112 video recordings
• 2 digital video discs : BluRay, RT: 2:02:00
• 16 digital video discs : DVD, RT 5:41:49
• 13 video cassettes : Betacam SP, RT: 3:12:20
• 11 video cassettes : Digital Betacam, RT: 3:37:00
• 1 video cassette : HDCAM, RT: 0:43:40
• 45 video cassettes : MiniDV, RT: 44:07:00
• 24 video cassettes : VHS, RT: 17:21:30