27 to 30 October 2011
upART Contemporary Art Fair
Gladstone Hotel, 2nd Floor Gallery
1214 Queen Street West, Toronto, Canada
The Reef = Polytopia + Geoms = geometry + repetition + evolution + ecology =
creation myth of a utopian state.
The Reef, Cardstock, acrylic gouache, manufacturing industry excess vinyl, nylon, foiled wall covering, rip-stop, home decor and waterproof fabrics, thread, staples; 2011.The Reef is a textile art and painted paper sculptures installation in which a large three dimensional quilt, called Polytopia, forms a “coral” nursery for dozens of highly stylized “fish” that hang in front, called Geoms. Inspired by bottom up organization and doing the best with what’s available while responding to an irrepressible will to being, the Reef explores geometry as a bridge between the material world and the world of ideas.
The colour combinations and surface treatments help the shapes seem to surpass their polytope, making all seem more complex than it is and creating a sensually delightful direct aesthetic experience.
The installation fuses ecological, mechanical, and geometric narratives into a creation myth of an ideal state of existence that is at the heart of our collaboration as Happy Sleepy.
The viewer above shows a full selection of images of the Reef as installed at upArt 2011. Use the button on the bottom right of the viewer above to see the images in full screen. The images are from the Reef photo set on Flickr and can also be viewed there.
Animated Gifs
Animated gifs of painted paper “fauna” elements against a textile sculpture background from the Reef project that was installed at upART 2011. There are a couple of Happy Sleepies in there, too.
One of the Black Matter quadrangles. These mysterious Reef elements have a thick coat of blackest matte gouache and eyes made of real pearls from Cambodia.The artists would like to thank Sara Kamalvand for her generous assistance in assembly and the Ontario Arts Council for financial assistance.
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