Artist Info: The latest work on the blog is a compilation by three different individuals from varying backgrounds. Zoe Bacchus is a Masters student at Concordia where she is researching the effects of sound on the brain. Much of her work involves the connections between sound and art and how they affect one another. She is not a stranger to art collaborations and has worked with other artists to create pieces for public, private, corporate and non-profit businesses. Sherri Shorten is a Edmonton-based architect who has made her career creating a number of private, public and tourist structures. She is also passionate about art and works as an artist on the side to create her pieces for sale at local galleries and markets. Finally, Harold Wollin is an owner a chef at the Blue Chair Cafe in Edmonton. He completed his degree at NAIT in culinary arts and has travelled all over the world where he picked up different cooking styles from a multitude of cultures. Beyond his career in the kitchen he is also a musician and an artist.
'Sway' is a 12 foot by 20 foot mosaic on the side of the Arts Habitat building at 102 Avenue just East of 106th Street. The mosaic is made up of over 12 000 ceramic tiles depicting an elm tree. According to The Places website, the elm tree is supposed to represent the harmony and connection between all three of the artists as well as the city of Edmonton itself as a major arts centre in a unique, northern location. The piece was a 2001 commission by The Places for the Edmonton Business Council for the Visual Arts.
My Thoughts: I was intrigued to learn about the elm tree as a symbol to represent all of the artists since I was definitely surprised by the differing backgrounds of the three contributors. I would like to know more about how they see the elm as a symbol and what sort of collaborative process they went through as artists to create the piece.
I pass this work a few times a week and so I have had the opportunity to see it at all times of the year. I find I enjoy the piece much more in the summer than the winter. A major reason for this might be the colour scheme. During the winter the building and parking lot around the work is incredibly grey. I find the reds and oranges in the tiles are not particularly vibrant (perhaps due to sun fading?) so they do not jump out at me or contrast against the grey surroundings. In the summer, when the area is green, sunny and colourful, I find I enjoy the navy blue tiles which have maintained their vibrancy and provide a nice contrast to the bright surroundings.
In whatever season, I still do like this small reference to nature in between all of the buildings of 102 Ave. What do you think? Have you noticed this work seems different with the seasons?
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