Tuesday, March 21, 2023

One Solar Year--The Book!

Our book is finished! Two copies of One Solar Year will be at the Hearth Gallery as a central part of the One Solar Year show, April 19-May 1, comprised of work by my partner Markus Roemer, my son, Taliesin van Lidth de Jeude Roemer, and myself. Like the show as a whole, this book explores the seasonal, cultural, and biological changes of the year 2022. Local wilderness photos by Taliesin and myself are the foundation for poems that discuss our human connection with each other and our ecology. 
 
My favourite thing about this book is that if you flip through from winter solstice to winter solstice, you see the colour palette of the year go by. It's reassuring to me that this sequence of colour is so familiar -- such a strong part of our collective psyche. 
 
The book is available to purchase at my Blurb store (link below), but it's quite expensive, due to the ever-rising costs of everything, so I'll be doing a group purchase for locals in the spring to at least save us all the cost of shipping. If you'd like a copy, let me know. I expect I'll put the order in in May or June. 

But you don't need to purchase it to have a look! Just click this image/link, and then click your way through the book.   Or watch me flip through the hardcopy on my instagram. :-)

Monday, February 13, 2023

Watch us install the show!

 

What a wonderful time we had putting up the dual-channel installation of
w h a t . h o m e !

OK maybe it was a little stressful given the tight timeline, but we made it, and pretty sure we've survived! Here's a little video compilation of the process of installing. You'll see me sitting on the floor doing a video-interview with Rohit Joseph for CBC Radio's weekend morning show, North by Northwest. Here's the fifteen-minute interview, if you'd like to hear it, for as long as it's available online, anyway. It really was a joy to talk to Rohit, and a highlight of my career at this point.

 

The opening was really incredible for me. Such a huge amount of support from my family, friends and community. I was totally blown away.

 
Probably the biggest shock for me though was the unexpected appearance of a fabulous kid I once taught in the Netherlands. I haven't seen her in about thirty years, and she, her mother, and her kids now live on the Sunshine Coast, and came to the show!! AND she's an artist!!! What a wonderful surprise to connect again. Yet another thing that made me realize how grateful I am for the life I'm privileged to have. Here are a few photos from the opening. Thanks to my son Taliesin and brother Adrian for the photos. 🧡

Also this guy!! Michael Gurney. What a fabulous reporter!! He came fully prepared, having already checked out the show and having a bunch of really good interesting questions about it. And his article shows he actually researched this quite thoroughly. I am truly honoured to have this show written about by him. He said some interesting things about it that even helped me understand it more, myself. Here's a link to the article he published: https://www.nsnews.com/local-arts/bowen-islanders-exhibition-at-gpag-is-homeward-bound-6574236



We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien.

https://canadacouncil.ca


 

Monday, January 23, 2023

New Video and More Info about Upcoming Show

Gearing up and getting excited about this installation for Gibsons Public Art Gallery, opening February 9th! 

The beauty of installation art is that it's an experience utterly different from the sum of its parts. You see me sharing these little videos as the months go by, but when you come to the show it will be a totally different experience. For one, you'll be walking around in a virtual forest of fabric, light, and sound. Your own movement, breath, and shadow will mix with that of the speakers. One of the things that happens is the juxtaposition of people and ideas--this is as surprising to me as it is to the viewers, because I don't do much planning in this regard. And yet, in the kaleidoscope of our community, there is deep meaning to be found in the connections and contrasts we share.
 
Here's a little segment of films lined up to project into the installation. It's still very different from how it will be in the gallery, of course, but it does give a taste of some of the many home-related topics that are discussed in the show:
 

 
I'm also happy to say that the GPAG will host an exhibition of my oil and graphite works on canvas, concurrently with the  w h a t . h o m e  installation, in the Eve Smart Gallery (right next to the main gallery, where the installation will be). Here's a small collection of some of the pieces that will be included, there.

Top to bottom:
Use My Lungs and Breathe--54x40 inches (triptych)
I'll Fly Away (In the Morning)--60x48 inches
Wash Away the Rain--7 rearrangeable canvases, each 4x12 inches


EXHIBITION DETAILS:

February 9 to March 5, 2023
Gibsons Public Art Gallery, Gibsons, BC, Canada
Hours: Thursdays through Mondays, 11am-4pm

MEET THE ARTIST:

 February 11, 12-2pm

The Gibsons installation of  w h a t . h o m e  is made possible by its host, the Gibsons Public Art Gallery. The promotion is with great thanks to the Hearth Gallery (Bowen Island/Nex̱wlélex̱wem), the West Vancouver Community Arts Council, Emily Carr Alumni Association, Galleries West, CBC Radio's North by Northwest, and Spilt Milk Gallery.
 

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien.

https://canadacouncil.ca