After All

A curated show by Clare Samuel and Agi Gutkowska

Work by Anouk Desloges, Clare Samuel, Leanne Eisen, Marcy Chevali,
Candice Purwin, April Maciborka, Allison Rowe, Alisha Piercy, Babar Khan

After All is a colloquium of micro-disasters and subtle apocalypses, little mistakes and lonely wanderers,
absences and distortions, created by eight young visual artists. Both melancholy and acerbic, the works
speak to the aftermath of arbitrary and fictitious disasters. Darkness has already descended, and the
sensation is one of being unsettled for good, and yet, escape routes and alarm-bells appear to be built-in
to each misfortune.

Anouk Desloges’ work depicts airplane crashes and ship collisions with delicately embroidered threads on
cold, transparent plastic. The unfinished lines are simultaneously intimate and dispassionate, leaving us unsure
how to feel about these calamities. Clare Samuel’s photographs create an ambivalent relationship between the
figure and landscape, and a sense that ‘civilization’ is something long forgotten. Allison Rowe’s recycled quilt
pieces contrast bright fabric colours with urgent words: ‘The Time to Try and Convince Them is Over,’ speaks
one; and ‘Save Yourself,’ warns another. Alisha Piercy presents large-scale drawings of excessive fountain scenes
in unnatural colours, a kind of post-apocalyptic alchemy that is both enticing and intimidating. Leanne Eisen’s ‘Scan’
project pushes technology beyond its limits, tricking, bating and teasing the machine to produce beautiful shapes.

The outcomes bear scant relation to the objects they should represent, and instead become sublime errors.
Babar Khan creates moody portraits of shadowy figures.  April Maciborka’s distorted sea imagery brings to
mind tidal waves of biblical proportions, pertinent to recent events in our climate. Candice Purwin’s dense
ink drawings illustrate childhood terrors, dark worlds ever present in individual memories. Marcy Chevali’s
tiny crocheted figures hang together, yet are isolated from each other, little grey creatures who have lost their
way in the storm.

Curated by Clare Samuel and Agi Gutkowska.
***

Exhibition is open to the public- Monday to Thursday from 12 noon to 6 pm, Friday and Saturday from 11 am -6pm, and Sunday from 11am to 5 pm. Steam Whistle Brewing – The Roundhouse – 255 Bremner Blvd. Toronto. ( just south of the CN Tower)

Anna

Within any garden, the fountain typically signals a gathering place for both public and private forms of entertainment: picnics, music, flirting and loitering, and hopscotch, or, for reflective solitude. Water evokes freedom and reflecting light creates a dream-like atmosphere.

In these soft apocalypses, fountains-at-ruin act out a display of romantic weather systems, fireworks, smoketrails, waterfalls and explosions, using ink, glitter, neon underdrawings and electrical tape.

ALISHA PIERCY Emerging Montréal-based writer, artist and paintings conservator. My practice ranges from poetry to the writing of novellas, from performative drawings to self-made bookworks. My recent work deals with the daring and singular purpose embodied by the figure of the ‘castaway.’ From this vantage point, I explore conditions of alienation and stances adopted by rebels in order to reinvent culture. My projects happen in multiple media, but all are grounded in writing.

My recent publications include: two novellas Auricle / Icebreaker (Conunudrum Press, 2010), and You have hair like flags, flags that point in many directions at once, but cannot pinpoint land when lost at sea (Your Lips to Mine Press, Berlin/Montréal, 2010), winner of the 2010 bpNichol Chapbook Award and co-published in an Icelandic edition by Uturdur (Reykjavik, 2010). My short story entitled Picnic was published in The Coming Envelope under BookThug Press (Toronto, 2011), and it forms part of Ransom, a novella I am now preparing for submission for publication. I have participated in various literary events, most recently performing on the mainstage at the Scream Poetry Festival (Toronto, 2011) and at the Literary Death Match (Montréal, 2011).

In my multi-disciplinary project You have hair like flags~(2010) a figure is adrift at sea for 30 days. The project was composed of a chapbook, a thirty-day-long wall drawing performance in Montréal and an installation of burning rafts set off the coast of Reykjavik. The story was inspired by the slogan Barcelona or Death! from a Senegalese pop song about the masses of young African men who attempt to float to mainland Europe, and by Dutch artist Bas Jan Ader’s fated 1975 effort to round the world on a small boat. My solo exhibition Antechamber (2008) and Picnic (2009), a series of performances I carried out in Mexico City (2009), sought to confront modern mythless cultures through a consideration of the work of the Surrealist Leonora Carrington. In addition to writing my first novel, I am currently working on a film adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s short story Forever, said the duck, in collaboration with visual artist Stéphane Gilot.

Mrs Morris (Reprise)

Mrs. Morris is the purest reflection of what we think “The Happiness Project” is about. Mrs. Morris is an infectiously happy person. Mrs. Morris makes us think about the universality of happiness. The shared experience is what makes us all happy. We wanted to do something that visually reflected that. Our goal was to show that ultimately we all share those quiet chances for happiness that make us human. Everyone who enters and participates, makes a contribution to other people’s happiness.

CRUSH is a design/directing collective based in Toronto. Crush has been around since 1998, and has been a major component in Toronto’s design and post production industry. Crush works in advertising, music videos, the film world and in places where creativity and technology meet. Crush have done graphic and animation collaborations with Moby, Richie Hawtin and REM. They have worked on viral video projects with Douglas Coupland and art installations with Marco Brambilla. Additionally Crush have done street projections for Nuit Blanche with Vespa.

Participant in this project: Gary Thomas, Stefan Woronko, Julia Deakin, Rudy Ledvinka, Kristen Van Fleet, Josh Clifton, Adam Palmer,Scott Carradice, Chris Minos, Errol Colautti

Mrs. Morris

Mrs. Morris captures the rich cadence and sweet abundant character that one hears in her lovely voice. The soft saxophone melody emulates her tone establishing a melody as she declares that “Happiness is love”. I re-imagined the kitchen using a fallen tree, salvaged from the ravine in my backyard. I chose to adorn the tree using the soft, ethereal and modular sweet – the marshmallow.

I chose the kitchen for its role in domestic life, its transitional position and its hollowness. This hollowness and the physical absence of Mr. Morris, I felt could be supplanted by the grace of the salvaged tree. Themes of domesticity, neighbourly love, and our societal guilt and reverence with respect to the natural world are explored in this installation.

Jeremy McMullin Designcorp Jeremy studied Environmental Design at OCAD and Interior Design at Ryerson University, receiving top honours in both institutions. He is the co-owner of Designcorp, an international Planning and Design Company. With offices in Toronto and Sao Paulo he creates Master Plans and large retail projects, mixed use developments, lifestyle centers, theatres, homes and arenas in Latin America, the US and across Canada. He has received numerous international awards for his work and was drawn to the happiness project for the soulfulness and passion of the artists and members of Artist Bloc.

Marisa

 
SKETCH artists invite the public to discover their own creativity by creating through collage, drawing and painting, and also taking part in the show.

Sketch artists produced a series of self-portraits, exploring self-expression which is an important theme in the track Marisa. Participants made constructed these images over two photography workshops.

SKETCH: WORKING ARTS is a working arts organization that engages diverse young people who identify as living on the margins. We offer a safe and supportive space where there exists alternatives to traditional forms of education, therapy and skill building. We recognize the power of expression through the arts and welcome people to determine their own individual pace and interpretation within it. We celebrate the creativity, resilience and diversity of all young people and see them as key contributors to culture and society.

Vittoria

This installation was conceived as a celebration of happiness, approached in a playful and exuberant manner, and inspired by pinatas, parties, and the happiness that comes along with Valentine’s Day arts and crafts.

The installation invites visitors to consider what happiness means to them.

KRONA & LION is Kristen Lim Tung, Fiona Lim Tung and Lisa Keophila, Jonathan Margono. They are a multi-disciplinary design collective with experience in architecture, graphic design, ceramics, and textiles. They were brought together by a mutual admiration of each other’s work and an appreciation for meticulous and well-conceived methods of making.

KRONA & LION have created installations and sets for private collections, editorial shoots, and several exhibitions including the Gladstone Hotel’s Come Up To My Room and Nuit Blanche. KRONA & LION have worked with an extensive list of clients, artists, and designers and enjoy collaborations, community involvement, and user participation.

Vanessa

I interviewed people about the first time they fell in love, I wanted to see how they would try to articulate that feeling. Was it a totally new emotion? Did it change everything or just seem normal? I made colouful fly posters with my favorite quotes. The work ties in to the track Vanessa in terms of communication and language, and how this shapes our total experience of the world around us.

CLARE SAMUEL is a Northern Irish artist now living in Canada. She began her studies at Napier University in Scotland, completing a BFA with Honors in Photography at Ryerson University, and then an MFA from Concordia University. She has exhibited across Canada and Europe, participated in several international residencies, and has been recognized by various awards including the Roloff Beny Foundation Fellowship in Photography. Her work has been published in magazines such as Blackflash, Next Level and Prefix Photo. Her work examines the idea of borders; between people, places, or states of being, and how they define where and to whom we belong.

Ondine

The centerpiece of the song Ondine is an interaction between the eponymous child and her parent. We hear Ondine complain about almond butter, and though seemingly negative at first, the meaning of her words soon fade into the background. Eventually, we are left only with the melody of her speech, accompanied by a violin and a harp.

One wonders if perhaps the phrase appeals to the child solely because of its musical qualities. The meaning of the words themselves is insignificant in light of their tonality. The notion is silly, but also fun, and in the end, perhaps that’s what being a child is all about.

In my installation, I revisit the balloon, an object ubiquitous throughout those childhood years, and through experimentation and play, transform it into something a little different. Via the visual projections, the sculpture is brought to life, pulsing with the rhythm of Ondine’s words. It is a little silly, and a little ridiculous, but all done in the spirit of fun.

WILLY CHYR is interested in generative art, storytelling, and the intersection between art and science. He holds a B.A. degree in Physics and Economics from the University of Chicago.

While a student at the University, Willy joined Le Vorris & Vox Circus and performed as a juggler, unicyclist, and magician. It was during his time in the circus that Willy learned how to twist balloons.

He currently splits his time between Chicago and Toronto.

Mr. Gowrie
In his interview, Mr. Gowrie fondly recounts his story of growing up with his 13 brothers and sisters in a small house. For his interpretation of this track, Arron Gibson has recreated this house as a pair of interactive fountains that, when the water in them is touched by a participant, activate a process that will add the music over the voice of Mr. Gowrie, allowing users to recreate the experience of adding music to speech while connecting with the work on a tangible level.

Water is a part of all of us. It connects us and makes our lives possible.  Without water we could not survive and without connecting with the water the user cannot interact with the work.  Simply touch the water in the fountains to activate the work and experience the connection.

ARRON GIBSON This installation marks the third chapter in Arron’s project “The Listening Line”, which he developed during his final year of New Media Studies at Ryerson University in 2006. This thesis project garnered the inaugural Gallery TPW: Emerging Artist Award at Ryerson’s year-end showcase that year. The project’s next incarnation came to life in Kingston, Ontario, as part of The Happiness Project at the Apple Crisp Festival, where Arron worked with the track “Vittoria”.   Whenever The Listening Line is exhibited anywhere it always attempts to discuss the relationship between nature and technology through the act of physical connection with water.

By day, Arron runs his own new media company, Infinity Media Services Inc., specializing in web development.

TheListeningLine.com
InfinityMedia.ca

The Happiness Project: In the House presented by Artist Bloc, turns the album The Happiness Project by Charles Spearin into an interactive, installation-based exhibit within the walls of a residential setting. Local artists are enlisted to interpret songs from the album and are challenged to weave their own experience of the songs, as well as their own definition of happiness, into the works. Each artists’ installation becomes a unique expression of joy and an exercise in welcoming the community into an intimate community space. This exhibit has already been hosted in Montreal and Kingston to critical acclaim.

The Happiness Project: In the House is coming to Torontonians on October 1st of 2011, when the exhibition will open as part of Scotiabank’s Nuit Blanche.

Participating artists: Willy Chyr, Sketch: Working Arts ,Clare Samuel, Arron Gibson/Infinity Media, Jeremy McMullin/Designcorp, Alisha Piercy, Crush Studio (Gary Thomas, Stefan Woronko, Julia Deakin, Rudy Ledvinka, Kristen Van Fleet, Josh Clifton, Adam Palmer, Scott Carradice, Chris Minos, Errol Colautti), Krona & Lion (Kristen Lim Tung, Fiona Lim Tung and Lisa Keophila, Jonathan Margono)

Please come to Oz Studios at 134 Ossington Ave.

Gallery Hours:

1-Oct 7pm - 7am
5-Oct 2pm - 7pm
6-Oct 2pm - 7pm
7-Oct 2pm - 7pm
8-Oct 12pm - 5pm
9-Oct 12pm - 5pm
12-Oct 2pm - 7pm
13-Oct 2pm - 7pm
14-Oct 2pm - 7pm
15-Oct 12pm - 5pm

FB Event Page for Scotiabank Nuit Blanche Exhibit

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche page