Jeff Chan
Week one.
July 10th, 2015
Week one has come to a close here in Blairmore! Follow along for updates if you're interested, it's been an interesting transition into town, meeting lots of friendly people and also stepping on a lot of toes (not literally, thankfully)! But first, a bit of background to Gushul Residency and why I am here.
Gushul Residency is situated along Crowsnest Pass, in Blairmore, Alberta. The residency is run by the University of Lethbridge, and has been in operation since 1988, housing artists and scholars ever since. There are two buildings, a studio (formerly used as a photo portrait studio by Thomas Gushul), and a smaller cottage to house a writer in residence. This particular residency had caught my eye due to its location, being not far at all from where my current body of work first started in Southern Alberta, where the landscape that has and continues to inspire much of the work, and has even literally shaped it. The work centered around questions of where, and what home could be. In 2014 I had the opportunity to visit Hong Kong, China on my first artist residency, to visit the city my Dad still calls home and live life on the other side of things, making work about place, and belonging. If you're interested in a recap of that experience, click here. A return to Southern Alberta meant the work could come full circle both physically and conceptually to its place of origin, and that meant that I could tackle a couple of questions that were brewing in the work, detailed below (you get a screen shot of something I had written before that I cannot copy and paste and am too tired to write out again, hence the font change).
On to some photos of the place.
Outside of the studionote the giant window! | Artist studio | Writers cottage next door |
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Yes they're huge. Note plant size.Can't say I've ever been in a place with more natural light in it, besides being outside! | working space | working space from above |
The kitchen.Fully stocked with pots, pans, and cup noodles. How thoughtful. | The guest book, since 1975. | Good to see a familiar name! |
Just outside by the train tracks | ||
night time exploration |
Some of the work made so far (and some shots of it being made), in direct response to the above points. A series of physical signs. This has definitely been some of the most challenging work yet, not to construct, but rather to finalize. A city boy myself, I never though it would be a thing to own as much land as some of these folks out here do. It's been a constant dine and dash for each photo and each location. Stay too long and you're sure to have a random truck pull up behind you and question and or take pictures of you as evidence of your apparent crimes. Friendly advice from my neighboring artist: set a limit of fifteen minutes. Be sure to be gone by that time.
The studio after a few days. | Foiled!Tip: don't paint things outside on the grass here. Those are all teeny tiny spiders that gathered during a few minute conversation. | The Way You Know, The Way You Don't |
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Are We There Yet | Somewhere | Somewhere |
Ya. |
A continutation of work started in Calgary - light projections. Meet the Light Cannon!
Late night constructionCreating the first Light Cannon prototype | Light Cannon V1.0 | Light Cannon V1.5Now with added stability and adjustability! |
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LostLight Cannon V1.0 maiden voyage | Will You RememberLight Cannon V1.5 | Studio testingLight Cannon V1.5 |
A Familiar FeelingLight Cannon V1.75 | Let GoLight Cannon V1.75 |
That's all for now. Stay tuned for more trespassing and Light Cannon action!