the observer

Saskia van Alphen, Festival Animator, visits The Works on an international internship to be the eyes and ears of the festival.  Saskia sees and tells all in daily posts of reviews, previews, and "what's up"s at The Works Art & Design Festival.

Postings: 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 / 10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1

At 2 PM the winners of the Chalk Art Contest were announced. The jury had a hard time deciding, but in the end, prizes went to the Martini bath towel near the South entrance, the drawing of a turtle with the tree on his back, in front of the family tent, and the colourful abstract work near the grass at the East side of the square for the children's competition

At 4 PM Ben Sures, The Works artist in residence, unveiled his post-apocalyptic garden. He took the microphone and explained to the crowd how the last man on Earth had assembled this garden based on childhood memories, not only by fabricating flowers from consumer waste, but also by adding perfume and sound to it. It was indeed a garden for the five senses, the flowers were there to see, feel, smell, hear and taste. After the talk, people investigated the garden, putting their ear against the rosebuds and sniffing the giant lilies. The experience was completed by edible flowers ‘left over from the apocalypse’ and found in the last man’s freezer which were offered to the public to taste.

It was the perfect afternoon to hang out on the square, have a beer and enjoy the Blues and Jazz performances on the Works Street Stage. While the visitors slowly moved on from Folk to Rock music, The Works crew prepared themselves for a long night. They worked several hours after the festival had ended and were still loading the last truck loads when the sun came up this morning. Now Churchill Square is more or less back to its normal state, but some of The Works exhibits are still available to visit:

Will art move on to the more commercial popular culture? Is it wrong to use art for commercial reasons? The group remains divided and quickly jumps to other topics such as: What makes you an artist? Should art be honest? Who do you create for?

Although the moderators repeatedly tried to rephrase the central question, the panel did not draw any firm conclusions on the role of art in sustainability and social justice issues. What I gathered is that most artists have the intention to affect change, but are unsure if they succeed.

Despite the somewhat floating discussion and the loud music that out-shouted part of the contributors, it was an interesting and fun hour to share among the small group of people present.  And as in business the important decisions are made during dinner, the artists decided to move to the beer garden to continue their conversation. I would like to conclude by slightly bending Adrien Cho's words: If these people were writers they would have written a novel or an essay, but they are visual artists, so the best way to learn what they have to say is to visit their exhibits and let their works talk for them.

One of them was Adam Makarenko, the artist from the exhibit The Miniature Apiary. All the scenes in Manulife Place are in fact miniature dioramas that he built himself. During his artist talk on Saturday he showed and explained his process. Most of them are very small scale; the hives in his photos, for example, are no bigger than 6 to 8 inches and the man-figures not larger than a fingertip. It was a real challenge to give the mountains a realistic look. It took him 8 months to obtain the result he was looking for, finally using clay as a basis. Generally Makarenko doesn't make use of special effects or additional lighting. Neither does he edit much after taking the photo, unless it is to hide the strings or wire the bees or clouds hang from. His Miniature Apiary series won him the American Photo of the Year award in 2007. The work is even more admirable when you note that Makarenko studied Film and developed the techniques of diorama and miniature making mostly himself.

Also this Saturday the Portable Festival of Portable Art organized by Institute Parachute had its second edition. Participants took their creations to the roof of the Centennial Pavilion  at 1 PM. The columns, roof and floor replaced the traditional gallery walls to hang the works and then the public was welcome to visit the improvised gallery space.

Then, on Saturday afternoon, the Chalk Art contest started. Since then, all over Churchill square both adults and children, have been working on their chalk drawings. Some return daily to their piece to adjust what the weather has worn away the night before. I was impressed by quite a few of them. The good news is, that it is still possible to join in! At the Information Tent, near the South Gateway, you can register and pick up your box of chalks. Why not take a chance and show Edmonton your art?

The MADE Street Furniture competition took place this weekend as well. On Saturday participants gathered at the South side of Churchill square. Materials and tools were provided and by drawing straws the first three teams to pick their material were decided. Then everybody got to work to make a piece of street furniture. On Sunday the jury visited the site and chose its winners, as did the public.

The Work on Your Figure classes took place both days during the weekend. After the 5-minute lectures by megaphone and the rapid chalk art drawings around the model, Gabriela and her model moved to the east side of the square, where they set up a three-hour Figure Drawing workshop under the trees. Materials are provided, so don't hesitate to join, as it is free of charge and Gabriela is happy to assist where you have doubts. There is one more session: Canada Day 2-5 PM.

And then of course, it was lovely to sit in the beer garden and enjoy the music of the different groups that performed on stage over the weekend. From experimental music performances by BEAMS and Ensemble Mujurushi, passing through some funk, reggae and rock to the exotic sounds of Arootz Bazaar.

So what's next? I plan to visit some further off the track galleries on the east side of town and attended the HEAT panel last night in the big tent to hear some of the main artists of the festival talk about art and society. Only two days left-- come and join us after school or work!

Ball chose not to portrait the staff, but instead show the environment in which they perform their daily tasks. The photographs depict meetings between the desolate physical landscape of the place, the enormous man-made military bases and the small amount of the people that work there. They reveal methods of contemporary warfare that make use of new communication technology  and negotiation talks. All revolves around observation. Allen Ball observes the Canadian Forces in their task, who observe the Sinai dessert and the Egyptian and Israeli soldiers, who observe each other, the Canadian base and the Bedouin settlements around it. Everybody is looking at each other. Physical confrontations are a rare sight. And that is exactly what Allen Ball wants to show us; contemporary daily life at war.

Tessa Nunn, another Edmontonian artist, who has a studio in Arsthab, shows her work in Rigoletto's café (on 100 Ave and 103 street). She titled it Enjoy Mother Earth. It holds mainly female nudes and landscapes. I personally was more attracted to the nude paintings. The women in there are voluptuous figures that breathe abundance and life, while at the same time seem contemplative. Nunn states it as follows: “The forms of the human body hold the voices of humanity. On the skin of these forms, light dances. I paint, to still the shapes of this cosmic dance.” She has a wonderful use of colours—not quite real, contributing to the magical atmosphere of the pieces. She purposely uses changing perspective and volume in the same work to challenge the visitor to reflect on the constantly changing and exhausting natural world.

During the HEAT panel discussion, these artists will reflect on their work and on their role as artists in today's society. It's the perfect chance to meet and talk to Canada's contemporary visual artists. Join them on Monday June 29^th at 7PM in the Big Tent on Churchill Square.

The other exhibit at Latitude 53 is also about desire and power--of boy-scouts in this case. Toronto-based artist Daryl Vocat has transformed the main gallery space into a midnight forest where scouting games take place. The Secret of the Midnight Shadow, at first instance, evokes the fear of the unknown, but then it gives the boys freedom, a place away from convention where they can live out their fantasies. It reveals ambiguous scenes, sometimes with a sexual tension, where boys play at being men and explore their identities. A must see for anyone that enjoys camping and knows the world of scouts.
Both exhibitions are being held over until July 18^th. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Just at the other end of the block, near 102 Ave, is Artshab. This is an artist live/work space that contains 10 live/work apartments and 3 work only studios. During the festival the artists open their doors to the public. The hallway is used as a gallery in which paintings, drawings and photographs by the residents are shown both to the public and to the other residents. When I entered, a dog welcomed me and two of the artists were involved in a game of darts. I wandered around their studios, studied their artworks and talked with them about their techniques and inspirations. It made for an enchanting and informal meeting with Edmonton artists of today. Upon leaving, they invited me, and everyone, to the Sweaty Ball they are organizing on Tuesday June 30^{th (}from 8 PM), promising a variety of eclectic live entertainment and great food.

For something different, but no less interesting or contemporary, you should pay a visit to the Albert Craft Council Gallery. (just across the street, on the other corner of 102 Ave and 106 street). It hosts the exhibit Coming up Next -- contemporary fine craft by emerging artists on the main floor. The Lower Gallery shows works by fine craft artists that not only share a studio but also a life together. The beautiful craftwork of Hitched: Couples in Fine Craft is accompanied by statements of the artists on how they work and live together. It offers a nice context to the beautiful ceramic and glasswork on display.
Both exhibits will continue after festival closure. Closed on Sundays.

Then, continuing on 106 street, a few more blocks down, in the Matrix hotel (100 Ave) Mark Bellows shows his Twisted metal sculptures. He literally puts HEAT to metal and then listens to the steel, twisting and bending it according to the directions the sculpture wants to go in. There is no predetermined plan or object. The creation happens during the process of melting and twisting. You could compare his style with that of the painter Jackson Pollock. Afterwards though, Bellows does leave this form-oriented work style in search of an appropriate title that links the sculpture back to our world of objects and emotions. Pay attention to the inventive titles of the sculptures, such as Lust Buster and Robin Hood.

Although a bit further away from the buzz at Churchill Square and surroundings, 106 street is unquestionably part of The Works festival experience and well worth an afternoon stroll!

Dominic Redfern shows two pieces, Heat and Lodden, that were filmed in the Mallee, a large semi-arid region in South Australia. Heat was originally made for a live audio-video performance that he was to do in Germany. As Australians are often identified by their natural environment (kangaroos, Ayers rock), he wanted to show the margins of that supposedly beautiful landscape. Both of his videos show the elements of an inhospitable and dreary landscape of barbed wire, carcasses of feral animals and erosion. He reverses the effect of cruelty and hardship by abstracting and aestheticizing the elements. This leads to interesting surprises for the viewer, who gradually discovers both the whole picture as well as the little details of this arduous place. His work will be shown in a group exhibit at Tate Modern soon, so it's definitely one you don't want to miss!


Saturday: Artist talk featuring Adam Makarenko
Have you seen Adam Makarenko's The Miature Apiary on the second floor of Manulife place? The photographs form a rather intriguing narrative about an imaginary territory called Langstroth Range located in the Yukon valley. On the range live giant bees, rare flowers and prehistoric bears. It has been left alone by humans until a man, William Bjorn, discovers it and tries to exploit the bees for honey and profit. This, as you might guess, has a negative effect on natural life of the range and eventually leads to the demise of the giant bees. Apart from the general reflection on human manipulation of nature it is a direct reference to the Yukon gold rush.

Makarenko’s extraordinary use of lighting and colour make for captivating photos. The series was created in co-operation with a film miniature-maker. First they created a series of complex dioramas that Makarenko later photographed using special film equipment. I've heard many people speculating on the materials used for the dioramas, on the scale of the scenes, and on how he managed the superb light effects. Well, Saturday June 27th is the day to find out all about it, since Adam Makarenko will be featured at an Artist Talk in The Artery at 4 PM. For anyone that was left with questions after seeing his photos or those who want to know more about this artist and his work, come to the Artery and ask and find out!

While you are at Manulife Place, make sure not to miss the woodcut series of hunks and studs by Calgary-based artist Lisa Brawn. Contemplating our festival theme HEAT, Brawn concludes that these heroes of the popular culture of the 70s and 80s are responsible for the raising of body temperatures across the globe and with that, they are to be held accountable for climate change as a result of heavy breathing. Her exhibit Throwing of Underpants Strictly Prohibited is worth a visit for all those among us that are a fan of pop, retro, aviator sunglasses, disco and everything else that makes you nostalgic about the 70s and 80s.

Lisa Brawn also operates Museo Poco, a small display window gallery on 17^th Avenue in Calgary and she plans to participate with a 1963 Airstream Bambi in an artmobile convoy across Alberta and beyond to offer alternative venues for art-related projects.

Betty-Jo McCarville's piece was added to the Too Hot to Handle exhibit only yesterday. I have not had a chance to see it yet, but the intriguing rumour is that it contains people in bottles...

Robert Harpin's  work can be found in three Festival Exhibits. Apart from his work Heat Wave in Too Hot to Handle, he participates in the Smaller than a Bread box exhibit (City Hall) with a provocative little piece of work, and has an installation in Louise McKinney Park called Call of Nature. It is the office cubicle of a man that wants to leave behind his 9-to-5 concrete urban life to go back to nature. Unable to neglect his professional responsibilities, the man takes his office with him. He seeks help and inspiration in books to complete his self-proposed mission. However, he remains ambiguous in his desires: His office is only on the border of downtown and the valley, half-facing the skyscraper he used to work in. You are invited to help him make a decision by adding books to his collection, by leaving a message in his guest book or with any other item you think useful for this troubled man.

To find the cubicle, go down the stairs from the Shaw Conference centre and walk across the parking lot.

Go and see the work of these young talented Albertans for yourself! If you are interested in talking to one of the creators; they are around Churchill Square every day, so feel free to share your thoughts with them.

Also this Saturday, Institute Parachute will host the annual Portable Festival of Portable Art at the Centennial Pavilion between 1 and 4 PM. The festival-within-a-festival will feature games, sculptures, conceptual experiments, and whatever unannounced participants bring. It explores the idea of an exhibition without walls. Bring something that you can carry and that does not require a gallery to function. Examples are puppet shows, collapsible or flying objects, balloon sculpture, time machines, science experiments, dramatic plays, speeches, research presentations, robots, magic tricks or concept bands. Be sure to be there, as it is impossible to know if it is real, unless you participate!

Finally, you won’t want to miss the Raku Demonstrations that start on Thursday evening. This isn’t a participatory activity, but it will sure be a spectacular sight. Mary Swain will demonstrate the process of Raku, a traditional firing technique for pottery, which can be done with a propane tank, a tiger torch, and a garbage can. You can watch her at work at Churchill Square, right in front of the Big Tent.
Thursday June 25^th and Friday June 26^th between 6 and 9 PM,
Saturday, June 27^th between 12 and 4 PM.

Come help us define art and design by participating at The Works Art & Design Festival!

Ben Sures doesn't usually consider himself a visual artist. He is a singer- songwriter with an impressive repertoire and 4 albums. He will be sharing his songs with us on The Works Street stage on Thursday June 25^th at 5 PM and Monday June 29^th at 2.30 PM. If you can't wait that long, check him out on the internet.

I have mentioned Roger Crait in earlier postings. He is working on the North Gateway together with Fine Arts student Alex Stuart. They are progressing very well and it is easy to discover the similarities between the gateway piece and Crait's work in Scotia place. If you haven't seen that yet, you should definitely pay it a visit, since the enormous canvases are full of surprises. Have you discovered the mysterious windows, the exploding white furry sheep and the 'insert weather here' cloud? Roger Crait, by giving his exhibit the title It's time for red, so put the knives away, challenges you to think about subjects such as the position of urban Aboriginals in Canada, the relationship between Caucasians and First Nations and the sustainability of contemporary society. He is interested to know what his work provokes in you, so do not hesitate to visit him while he is working on the North Gateway on Churchill Square to talk about his work or simply to watch him paint.

After the panel there was a reception at the Transforming Motion exhibit in the Big Tent on Churchill Square. People could have a drink and a bite with the artists while viewing the videos and photographs of Linklater, Blackhorse Lowe and Kwandibens. They are inspiring pieces of work that show that there is a lot that we can learn from Aboriginal cultures. The Works aims to continue the exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal art in the future to encourage the recognition of their creativity and contribution to Canadian society.

In the afternoon, Larson Yellowbird and his daughters taught and showed different kinds of Powwow dances on The Works Street Stage. The public participated in a few of them, which resulted in a great union of diverse cultural backgrounds.

Directors note:
In 2009, with Support from the Canada Council for the Arts, The Works Art & Design Festival launched The Works Canadian Aboriginal Artist Program.  This year, the program showcases two feature exhibits, an aritst residency,  and special events including those described here--on National Aboriginal Day.  The program is designed to highlight contemporary Aboriginal artists' work and the contribution that First Nations people make to Canadian visual culture.  The program will continue in 2010.

The Rising Tide is a documentary by Robert Adanto that examines the radical transformation China has gone through over the past 30 years by looking at the works of prominent contemporary Chinese artists and by interviewing them on the present and future situation of their country. Adanto, with his documentary, tries to give an insight both into current Chinese society as well as its art scene and the global influence they are gaining.

China has gone through a radical transformation. The economy and welfare has had a steady rise in the past 20 years As a consequence, small fishers' villages have grown out to cities with millions of citizens to which people from rural areas migrated in search of a better life. In the city they are submerged in materialism. The speed of these changes is dazzling and a lot of people find it confusing and hard to keep up with.

The film shows the works and words of emerging Chinese artists, such as a video by Cao Fei on narrative games kids play out to escape from the ambiguous society they live in and photographs by Yang Yong that show the rising tension between the superficial glamour of urban material life today and the relentless certainties of a pre-industrial environment of communist orthodoxy.

Adanto has been invited to many art shows all over the world and will be featuring his documentary at Tate Modern in London soon. It is a highly recommended film, especially if you’re interested in Chinese culture and its artistic expressions. To have a preview, check out the trailer.

There are two screenings left: Sunday 21^st at 7 PM and Tuesday 23^rd at 9.30 PM at Citadel.

Who does she think she is is a documentary on the challenges that female artists face to combine their artistic ambitions with family life and society's expectations. Like the trailer starts out, many famous female artists and career women remained childless. Although Visual Art schools have 80% female students, the collections and exhibits of art galleries and museums feature mainly work by male artists. Why is that? This movie examines the lives of various female artists who tell about their struggles and anxieties. The director Pamela Tanner Boll was aiming to find a way in which women can combine motherhood with a creative profession. She found her model in Maye, a woman who succeed to make a life out of her art while raising a family of three boys.

The film can be seen on Sunday 21^st at 9.30 PM and Tuesday 23^rd at 7 PM at Citadel.

So, we had our first glance at what the Works Festival has to offer and it looks promising! Lots of things going on on Churchill square like music, dance, open air drawing classes and a drop-in family program. At the different art exhibits volunteers are present to provide you with information on the artists, but wouldn't it be nice to meet the artists themselves? Today (Saturday) is the day to go out and do just that.

In the Stanley Mliner Library (Edmonton room-lower level) the Alberta Society of Artists invites you at their opening reception for the Planet Earth exhibit between 2 and 4 PM. The exhibit features work of their members and other artists that express the artists' concerns related to what we are doing to our planet. I personally was impressed with Olivia Kachman's photograph Parched (see image) in which she compares the human skin to that of the earth stating: 'What we do to our land, we do to ourselves'.

Another exhibit that examines our planet and human life is Future Imperfect. The artists are a group of colleagues from the video game and design industry, who, on the initiative of Adrien Cho, express their vision on what the world will be like in 100 years. They use the same digital tools as they use in their work, but in a more creatively free way, to show their personal prophecies on urban landscapes, heat and water. Although most of them don't foresee a very positive future, the works are appealing and beautiful. It's definitely an exhibit to check out (even more so for our younger visitors). The artists are happy to welcome you at their reception in the Big Tent on Churchill Square between 4 and 6 PM today.

 If you prefer a more casual encounter with artists and like music, video art and fashion, you should definitely go to The Works opening night party at Free Mason hall (10318 100 Ave, from 8 PM) tonight. I've been told that many artists plan to attend...

Much work has been done already. Exhibits are up in most places. Yesterday the team worked together with Allen Ball to set up his exhibit on the ground floor of the library. In 2007 he visited the Canadian Forces in El Gorah on the border of Israel and Egypt and observed their daily tasks and work environment.

Curator and artist Terrance Houle arrived late last night to build up a video and photo exhibit of three contemporary aboriginal artists in the big tent, Under the name 'Transforming Motion' they will give an insight in daily life of contemporary aboriginal people.

Roger Crait also drove up here to install his large and colourful collage-paintings on urban aboriginal life (invaded by his apocalyptic fantasy) in Scotia place. He'll stay with us throughout the whole festival to paint the North Gateway on Churchill square, just outside city hall, together with Fine Arts student Alex Stuart. So make sure to catch them in action.

At the same time the curatorial team is checking the other exhibit grounds, making sure they are easy to find and ready to face their admirers tomorrow. In total 30 sites participate in this years festival, featuring works of hundreds of artists.

So where to start? Well, tomorrow, I would certainly start off with one of the free festival exhibit tours (daily at 2, 4 and 6 PM starting from Churchill square) to get acquainted with the main art and design exhibits of the festival as well as linger around the works street stage for a bit to get into a festival mood and catch the Ensemble Mujirushi's avant-garde multimedia performance at 3.45 PM.

Then, not to be missed, of course, is the official opening night party of the festival on Saturday at Free Masons hall (10318, 100 Ave, 8 PM) which will entertain you with a fashion show and performances by music and video artists.