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 13^th 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 13^th 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.