Ball Nogues Studio, 'Talus Dome'

Artist Background: Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues explore the nexus of art, architecture, and industrial design. Their work has been exhibited at major institutions throughout the world; they have also received numerous honors. Recently, their work became part of the permanent collection of MoMA, and has appeared in a variety of publications worldwide. The partners have taught in the graduate architecture programs at multiple schools.

Composed of nearly 1,000 hand crafted stainless steel spheres that together assume the shape of an abstracted pile or mound, 'Talus Dome' reflects the sky, the weather and the river of cars that pass by it. 'Talus Dome' is both a sculpture in the landscape and a mirror to the landscape. Before the Quesnell bridge was constructed, talus forms of earth occurred naturally along the river valley. The artwork is reminiscent of the landscape that has been altered by the bridge, a rigid, controlled construction that meets our need to traverse the obstacle of the river. It references the coexistence of the man-made and the natural. At the same time, the surface of 'Talus Dome' will take on different colors with the changing seasons and hours of the day. Its visual quality is not static, and therefore creates a balance between its permanence, and its changeable appearance that suggests the mutability of nature.

My Thoughts: Currently the most contentious piece of public art in Edmonton, I, for one, am a big fan of 'Talus Dome'. The best place to see this work is not from the road, where most people have interacted with it, but from the the stairs leading up to the bike trail crossing the Quesnell/ down to Fort Edmonton Park - and the best way to see it is on foot (or just not in a vehicle). I took this posting opportunity to get up close to the work, which from below takes on an entirely different air. From the road you only see the tip of the 'iceberg,' per se. The work appears poised on the edge of the hill - rather than appearing heavy and static, much like you might expect a large amount of stainless steel balls to look, the work appears light, airy, and dynamic. From up close, you can also see the reflection of the landscape in the mirrored surface of the work, which really connects the piece to both the manmade intervention in the landscape through its use of industrial materials, as well as the natural parkland of the river valley through its reflection of it.

Bio courtesy of the City of Edmonton Public Art Collection website

Guest blogger!!

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to announce that we have found a guest blogger for the YEGallery posting! Tori McNish will be writing about a new work of art next week. You are all in good hands as Tori is already an arts  professional and one of the co-bloggers for Edmonton's Prairie Seen. (Check it out! The link is on the right of this page). Please give Tori as warm a welcome as you have given me!

I can't wait to see her posting!

Brendan McGillicuddy, 'Overflow'

Artist Background: Brendan McGillicuddy is an Alberta-born artist who has artist experience both in Canada and the United States. He received his BFA at ACAD but chose to go abroad for his Masters program, which he completed at the Parsons New School for Design in New York City. In his artist statement, McGillicuddy mentions that he places a lot of emphasis on the materials and techniques used in creating an artwork and how these tools relate to the location of the piece. He also considers the viewer and often tries to make his works inclusive and participatory. Many of his pieces discuss technology, nature, and the effect they often have on one another.

 ‘Overflow’ was created in 2009 for the Callingwood Recreational Centre. The piece consists of frosted polycarbonate that has been cut into dozens of icicle-like shapes and hangs off of the eves of the rec centre. In the evenings, lights inside the work create a multicoloured, glowing effect. McGillicuddy said he chose the icicle theme to celebrate the cold Edmonton climate. This is not the first time he has created public artworks. Along with his in-gallery pieces, McGillicuddy has created 13 site-specific works in New York City.

My Thoughts: The work reminds me of 'Anthropocene', another McGillicuddy work I saw last year at the Art Gallery of Alberta. In this piece, the artist sculpted white foam into an iceberg-like shape. The work is supposed to be a comment on our changing arctic and the effect humans have had on the melting of the North. On the artist’s website, he mentions that 'Overflow' can, at different times, represent icicles, rain or light breaking through the clouds. I wonder if the changing state of his work might also be a comment on global warming.

I was unfortunately not able to visit the piece while it was lit so I have included a link to the artist’s webpage where he has shown the illuminated work. I love the appearance of the lit icicles and did not want to leave this perspective out!

http://www.brendanmcgillicuddy.com/overflow-2009

I am going to be on vacation so there will NOT be a blog posting from me during the week of August 19^th. If there is anyone who wants to be a guest blogger, please email me at yegallery@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you!!