Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Look Ma, I'm a Hooker!


As part of a project I'd like to complete over the winter, I needed to learn how to crochet.  So for your enjoyment (and my humiliation) here's a picture of my very first and utterly sloppy attempt at the art.  And no, it's not supposed to be a McDonald's french fry!

It'll get better, I promise!


Monday, October 31, 2011

Halloween Costume!



This Halloween I decided to go the more traditional route:  A bed sheet ghost!  I thought it would be a bit more fun too if I made the bed sheet seem more obvious (hence the tacky pattern).  

What do you think?




Signs of "The End": Addendum



Following the interest garnered from a public installation I exhibited this past summer along 13th Avenue in Regina's beautiful Cathedral Area (see more details here), I was encouraged to submit work for a group exhibition at the new Rob Bos Art Projects Gallery.  The exhibition ran throughout the month of September, and explored similar, though much more detailed themes of ‘The End’ (the exhibition was in fact titled quite aptly and simply, "The End").

Therefore, in the vein of my previous project, I again constructed a similar structure that was stylized to resemble a street sign, which also stated the simple words: "The End" (thus making the structure a literal sign of "The End").   The installation also included numerous smaller signs, also only stating "The End", all of which were piled up at the base of the structure.   The final work can be seen in the photo above (sorry for the quality, it's the only image I have!), and the artist statement, although rather similar to the one provided with my initial project back in the summer, does vary to some degree, and can be read below:

Environmental instability, water shortages, natural disasters, a fragile economy, global pandemics, threats of nuclear or bio-chemical warfare, the alignment of the planets throwing the earth off its orbit, a giant meteor hurling itself toward us, intensified solar flares scorching the earth and all life on it, 2012, Armageddon, Divine Intervention, and a growing number of conspiracy theories pointing to secret government agendas and devastating invasions from other worlds or dimensions.  These are just a few of the seemingly countless threats or cautionary signs we are constantly bombarded with that suggest the end of the world as we know it might soon be upon us. 

Signs of “The End”: Addendum is an extension to the public street installation Signs of “The End”, which was initially executed by Ardell Padenom in the early morning of June 28, 2011 along 13th Avenue in Regina’s Cathedral Area.   The initial project involved a series of paintings that were stylized to resemble various types of street signs, and intended as a light-hearted commentary on society’s short-sighted and always predictable inclination to ignore even the most dire of warnings.   And although some of those warnings listed above likely deserve more of our attention and response than others, the fact remains that no matter how pressing the issue might be, the majority of the population will always remain largely apathetic.  Therefore, while each of the installed pieces was created a literal sign announcing “The End”, the signs themselves were not intended to be interpreted as literal, but instead as symbols of all those greater signs and portents which consistently surround us and assault our conscience.   The public was then invited to take an active role in responding to these literal signs by removing them from their place and doing something, anything, to dispel the notion that apathy is indeed a prevailing attitude.

In this exhibition, the audience is again encouraged to address these signs of “The End” by responding to their obvious place and presence.  In this particular installation however, the signs have been arranged in a heap, signifying how these grim omens we persistently encounter continue to accumulate or ‘pile-up’.   Each sign may be removed—a symbol of our ability to overcome an attitude of indifference toward these warnings—for a nominal donation in support of the new Art Projects Gallery.  The signs may be kept as a piece of art work, be disposed of, or, if preferred, destroyed; it matters not what action is taken though, so long as action is taken.

An interview discussion about the exhibition with Gallery curator, Rob Bos, can also be viewed here.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Published!


This is exciting!  My work got published!

As it turns out, a story about my "Signs of "The End" project made it into The Village Voice, the Regina Cathedral Area community news letter!  You can check the article out here on page 6.

Just a note on the author:  the article  should be credited to Kris Brandhagen (not Kate).  I know this because Kris also recently contacted me via email for an on-line interview regarding another article she was writing for The Free Agent magazine, covering the same Signs of "The End" project, but  with a few more details about the artist (hence the interview).  The new issue of The Free Agent should also be out soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

Although I never would have guessed that this project would have garnered so much attention, I have to admit I'm thrilled by the response so far! 



Thanks again to  Kris, The Free Agent, and The Village Voice!






Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Friday, July 22, 2011

A Medium is No Small Thing

July 21, 2011 marked what would have been Herbert Marshall McLuhan's 100th birthday.  Therefore, as my way of commemorating his centennial, I made this little booklet and scattered multiple copies of it around the Cathedral and Downtown areas of Regina in the hopes that people might come across them, read them, and find some delight as they peer into the mind of this extraordinary man.

The booklet is basically made up of 12 samples of text art, all inspired by McLuhan's most famous and clever sayings. 

Here it is for your enjoyment:




  



 






Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Signs of "The End"



Last night, in the wee hours of the morning, I installed the signs pictured above all along 13th Avenue in the Cathedral Village neighbourhood of Regina.   The intent was not to insight fear or worry, nor was it to announce some religious perspective on our fate, but rather to point out the simple fact that despite all the growing concerns about our future on this planet, people often remain indifferent when faced with impending danger.
Environmental instability, water shortages, natural disasters, a fragile economy, global pandemics, threats of nuclear or bio-chemical warfare, the alignment of the planets throwing the earth off its orbit, a giant meteor hurling itself toward us, intensified solar flares scorching the earth and all life on it, 2012, Armageddon, Divine Intervention, and a growing number of conspiracy theories pointing to secret government agendas and devastating invasions from other worlds or dimensions.  These are just a few of the seemingly countless threats or cautionary signs we are constantly bombarded with that suggest the end of the world as we know it might soon be upon us.  


Signs of “The End” is a public art installation made up of a series of paintings stylized to resemble various types of street signs, and is intended as a light-hearted commentary on society’s short-sighted and always predictable inclination to ignore even the most dire of warnings.   And while some of those warnings listed above likely deserve more of our attention and response than others, the fact remains that no matter how pressing the issue might be, the majority of the population will always remain largely apathetic.  Therefore, although each of the installed pieces is literally a sign announcing “The End”, these signs themselves should not be interpreted as being literal, but should be understood as symbols of all those greater signs and portents that consistently surround us and assault our conscience. 
The installed signs will be abandoned by the artist, leaving it to the public to respond to as they see fit. By placing the signs in locations that are obvious and even sometimes obstructive, the artist is thus enticing the public to physically engage with the structures and force a response one way or another.  The idea is to get people to at least acknowledge the "signs", but to also stimulate discussion, and, hopefully, convince the public to take some form of action in response to the signs.  


The signs will be installed along 13th Avenue for all the public to see, but how many people will really take notice?  After all, it's easy to dismiss any kind of warning when it’s overshadowed by countless other distractions, and especially so with a society that shows it is becoming increasingly indifferent.  The point of this project was not the signs themselves, but rather the reaction they hoped to create.  Each sign holds out an invitation to the observer to be proactive and to respond to the sign in a very real and physical way:  To take it for themselves, to own it and keep it as an art piece, or ,if preferred, to destroy or dispose of it.  The key is to just do something, anything, that would suggest that in seeing and acknowledging these "signs", one has been swayed to action.  What action is taken doesn't really matter, so long as it's action and not simply a response of apathy or indifference.  
This morning when I walked down the street to the progress of the project, all but one sign was removed from it's place.  When I walked down the street later this afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised to see many of the signs gone.

For your interest I've included some photos from last night, documenting the installation.  My apologies for the quality of the photos, I was trying to be quick and sneaky when installing the work, and I wanted to avoid using the camera's flash so as to avert any unwarranted attention to my activities: