famous & anonymous

Thursday, June 28, 2012

I stumbled upon one hell of a website this evening. A site devoted to controversial works of art, complete with comments published in local media, answering messages, or interviews with the general public. I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 30 minutes laughing at some of the responses people have when they don't understand something.

I had two favourites:

After the WAG selected as winner Jean Paul Mousseau's The Blob, 1955, in the annual juried exhibition:

"My painting is not a meaningless blob but an expression of the cosmic forces of the universe".
-Jean Paul Mousseau, prize-winning artist (Free Press, Nov. 8, 1955)

And of course, in response to a show at teh Plug In in 1998:

"I don't really care for you people using the Golden Boy as your gay thing. That's pretty gross. That's Manitoba's honorable person standing up on that thing there. That's pretty gross you guys".
-Anonymous caller to the Plug In answering machine, June 1998

If you want to see how Winnipeg has responded to art over the years, I highly recommend Don Goodes site.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Down then Up

Feeling characteristically down, I went to the internet to see what I could find. Normally I try 'funny cats', but somehow I happened upon a website called 'In the Make: Studio Visits with Artists and Designers. It is a site run by photographer Klea McKenna and writer Nikki Grattan. The two travel around documenting wildly cool artists through intriguing interviews and stellar photography.

The site is beautifully laid out: boat loads of white space, clean text, and vibrant colour photographs. I was immediately drawn to the entry on Mary Button Durell. Giant shaped paper reminiscent of my childhood attempts at geometric beehives, spirograph fleshed out, and candy. Her medium is tracing paper, wheat paste and recently adding acrylic paint. The result is playful and ethereal.

In her own words:

"I’ve chosen to work with the properties of light and translucency, biomorphic forms and patterns. The work has been compared to natural worlds: subaquatic, celestial and cellular. Depending on the process and the light, the individual pieces can take on the characteristics of different, more solid materials such as wood, bone, shell or marble."

Subaquatic - definitely. There is also definitely a scientific element to the creations.

Seeing her work seemed to make me feel temporarily better. If I could have a wish right this moment, I'd wish that I could shrink down a la Alice, and float through those beautiful wispy tunnels.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Furious

I have to say, this Harper government is really getting to me. I find this country almost unrecognizable: from the days when I was a little kid learning in school about all of the things that made this country, well, this country, those defining characteristics are vanishing at such an alarming rate that I am shocked.

Let's reminisce for a moment, shall we? What do you remember about Canada when we were young? Our incredible abundance of natural resources, our steadfast decision to be a country devoted to staying out of wars (although I am keenly aware that we have a troubled, deeply troubled past), our support for the arts (admittedly mediocre support, but this recent trend is horrific)...

Well, a dear friend of mine just informed me of a decision laid down today: The closure of Experimental Lakes Area: a research site that has been functioning since 1968.

Borrowed from The Wall Street Journal:

"One example of the very real impact on Canadians of the government's most recent decision regarding DFO is the withdrawal of support for research conducted as part of the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) program. A region of remote lakes has been dedicated, since the late 1960's, to whole-lake ecosystem research. It has been the site of groundbreaking studies into the effects of pollutants, acid rain, freshwater aquaculture, and hydroelectric dams on freshwater ecosystems. The ELA is also where researchers track how Canada's freshwater ecosystems respond to climate change.

This latest round of cuts to the Department will affect positions for Biologists, Chemists and Researchers, Policy Advisors, IT Specialists and Commerce and Purchasing Officers in communities across the country: British Columbia(18), Manitoba(27), the National Capital Region (16), Ontario(14), Quebec (25), New Brunswick(5), Newfoundland(10) and Nova Scotia(19).

"These cuts are not "back office" cuts. They are yet another blow to the federal government's capacity to use science to protect Canadians, their environment and our economic interests", said PIPSC President Gary Corbett. "The government is eliminating programs that have generated world-renowned studies of freshwater ecosystems as well as impacting work to monitor Arctic contaminants, dioxins and other pollutants."

WTF?! I feel sick. But what can I do? This is a concern that is facing all of us today-feeling our voices are not/can not/will not be heard....

Visit www.SafetyEh.ca and join the growing number of Canadians supporting public services.You can sign petitions, send letters to your MPs (they even look them up for you if you don't know who yours is), and you can also download an action kit to become more informed about what is happening.