#studiofminus

[yegarts]

Invisible Gate ~ Honouring a Community

(Rendering and original ‘Foo Dog’ or lion at the Harbin Gate - Studio F. Minus)

Invisible, but resonant, our personal, and collective histories, inform communities and day-to-day lives. They manifest through community markers – activity hubs, communal spaces, and symbolic places. When these tangible markers disappear, whether intentionally or intentionally, communities can experience a sense of grief and trauma. Invisible Gate, a new public artwork currently under development by Canadian collective Studio F. Minus, scrutinizes these issues and displays personal artifacts to illustrate the many layers of meaning and time within the Boyle Street community.

When completed, says lead artist Mitchell F. Chan, the artwork will serve as a container for those histories and stories. “The artwork is a pair of stylized lion sculptures created from layers of clear acrylic. What we’re doing right now is going around and asking people in the community to contribute objects that have symbolic value to them. We take a 3D scan of [the object], which we will use to create reproductions of the objects. Those items will be embedded in the sculpture layers. The finished sculptures will be reminiscent of an archeological dig site – you see the layers of people who’ve existed in this community.”

(Artists’ scanning apparatus in action - video, EAC)

When creating the initial project proposal Chan, and partner Brad Hindson, was inspired by world events and local news. “We did some research and looked a little more into what’s going on with this site and how the development of the neighbourhood was impacting the community – there’s a real story to tell on this site.”

Chan says the most significant local news story about the Boyle Street / South China Town neighbourhood was the removal of the Harbin Gate and accompanying lion sculptures to make way for LRT construction. The removal of these “symbolic markers of a neighbourhood” coincided with protests against, and removal of, public sculptures and monuments in the American South – the artists were eager to engage these issues.

(These images give an idea of how the finished sculpture may look - Studio F. Minus)

The interactive nature of Invisible Gate is an important element running through Studio F. Minus’s artistic practice. Their artist statement says, in part, “[our artworks] through their clarity and accessibility to viewers, transmit a renewed excitement and different appreciation of the world our artwork inhabits.” Invisible Gate invites reflection.

“[What] we choose to commemorate or monumentalize in our public spaces matters. It makes a declaration, a very visible representation of ‘our’ values as a society or community. However, if what we display matters, then it follows that what we take away matters as well. Erasing something symbolic that has a physical presence in a neighbourhood, does say something about how you feel about the value of a community.”

Therefore, the starting place for Invisible Gate, continues Chan, was to, “create an artwork in that symbol’s place that says, ‘you are counted’ that is a symbolic record of your community, where your history matters.”

(Lead artist Mitchell F. Chan with community liaison Shawn Tse - photo, Edmonton Arts Council)

The desire to make sure people are counted, means that Chan, and community liaison Shawn Tse have taken a very open approach to collecting the artifacts “…[they] can be anything – something obviously precious, or something you have on your person at that time. Your story, which we will record, can be a long history or a just token that you are here.”

The approach also recognizes how neighbourhoods like Boyle Street evolve, and how markers can be imbued with multiple meanings.

“Those lions have a different personal connection to people from different backgrounds. It’s incredible to me how we end up sharing our symbols and sharing our markers. I wanted to think about this site as having all different types of people and that this site has room for everybody’s personal connections and memories. People come here from so many backgrounds; they work here, they live here, or they hang out or they visit. and they all engage and interact with the symbols that are present in this community.”  

Artists Mitchell F. Chan and Shawn Tse will be collecting stories and scanning artifacts at the EAC Community Public Art Picnic this Saturday, June 8, at Boyle Street Plaza (9538 103A avenue). The event runs from 1:00-4:00pm. There will be live entertainment, mahjong lessons, games, free refreshments, a mini public art tour, and more! Visit the Event Page for details.

[agreatcapture]

TUNNEL OF GLAM 

Photos by  agreatcapture.tumblr.com

The Tunnel of Glam is an 80-foot covered pedestrian walkway lined with over 14 million reversible sequins. Interactive and colourful, the tunnel represents the largest ever single use of the material, and will offer delight to families through the holiday season. The installation was commissioned by the Yonge + St. Clair BIA.

About the Tunnel of Glam On its shimmering surface, Tunnel of Glam is a loud, vibrant, glamorous centerpiece that draws visitors in by playing upon the appeal of all things shiny and sparkling – the twinkle of fresh snow, the glow of lights, the glitter of icicles.

With its grand scale and bright colours the installation sits like a gift to all. It is a present which promises new surprises every day, as visitors continually make and remake the interior to their own design.

Everyone is encouraged to interact with the 14 million plus reversible sequins. These act as analogue pixels, the scale of which begs for big, over the top movements. Why use just the tip of a finger – as we are forced to with a phone or tablet – when here you can use your whole hand, to make a mark by running from one end of the tunnel to the other?

Tunnel of Glam encourages individuals to write, draw, and alter their environment… no batteries required.

About the Artist Studio F Minus is a public art and design firm based in Toronto, led by Mitchell F Chan and Brad Hindson. Notable past projects include the Luminous Veil, a half-kilometre long responsive lighting project that illuminates the bridge connecting Toronto’s Bloor St and Danforth Ave, and Gust – a series of 60 internally illuminated hanging sculptures designed to illuminate Brookfield Place.

www.studiofminus.com

Source: https://yongestclair.ca/tunnel-of-glam/ 

[jasonparis]

“Breath” byStudio F Minus for Earth Day 2018. #urban_toronto #torontophotography #igerstoronto #earthday #publicart #studiofminus #financialdistrict #brookfieldplace #santiagocalatrava (at Brookfield Place)

[girouard]

#brookfieldplace #stellarinstallation #snowfall #studioFminus #ig_canada #ig_ontario #ig_toronto #christmas2015🎄 (at Bay Street)

[yegarts]

Canadian collaborative, Studio F Minus created this interactive sculpture for the MacEwan LRT Station. The maquette and photographs were created in 2011 to show the artists' vision. The sculpture was installed earlier this spring at the yet-to-be-opened station.

The location will attract a lot of foot traffic - commuters, students, families, and community residents. With this in mind, the artists decided to put the viewer "in the picture."

They write: “Still Life, of course, isn’t still at all. [The work is] a set of six sculptures located in the centre of the grassy space near the Grant MacEwan LRT station. On their own, each is a whimsical, colourful addition to the site. When viewed together from a viewpoint looking through the final sculpture, a picture frame, the sculptures flatten into the classic trope of Western painting: the still life with fruit bowl.

The sculptures are spaced with enough distance between them that commuters or students can walk freely between them, entering and exiting the “picture”.

In some ways, the sculptures are like a puzzle, one that invites pause in order for curious viewers to solve with their own positioning.

However, the piece is designed to also incorporate those who move through it as an equally important part of the experience. The project is titled “Still Life” as a play on the vitality of the site [and is intended] to capitalize on the heavy pedestrian traffic surrounding the rail station by creating a piece that the commuting masses could interact with. The people viewing the piece, or even just passing by, actually activate and animate this Still Life. They turn the installation into a flat image by standing in front of the frame, and change the image by walking amongst the sculptures."

"Still Life" will be accessible to the public when the station opens later this year.