A Spell to summon one place into another
A Spell To Summon One Place Into Another is an immersive installation created in collaboration with pre-school and elementary aged children from the Richmond community. Mono and relief prints created by participants have been collaged and digitally printed onto vinyl which lines the length of a hallway in the Richmond Cultural Centre, evoking the vibrancy and diversity of Richmond’s natural landscape.
While exploring the installation site I became interested in the potential of the hallway to be transformed into another place, momentarily transporting visitors into a new landscape as they move inside the artwork. I began to contemplate the project through the lens of set design, considering how theatrical sets engage audience’s imaginations by suggesting a location while simultaneously inviting a suspension of disbelief. In this process of layering one place over another, to juxtapose the stark, human-made quality of the hallway I felt compelled to evoke the organic shapes and rich colours of Richmond’s natural landscape. Through a series of community engaged workshops, pre-school and elementary aged children created imagery that expresses each participant's diverse experience and perspective of the environment we share, exploring the textures, patterns, flora, and fauna of Richmond through printmaking. The Richmond Photography Club generously contributed reference images to spark participant’s imagination, further linking the prints created to the local landscape and to the artists who share the Art Centre. These vibrant prints have been altered, merged and composed to create a collaborative interpretation of our shared landscape. Utilizing the length of the hallway and the viewer’s inherent movement through space, the design transitions from forest to shore to ocean as it flows down the walls, forming an immersive installation which summons one site into another and offers its visitors a fleeting passage into another place.
October 2019
While exploring the installation site I became interested in the potential of the hallway to be transformed into another place, momentarily transporting visitors into a new landscape as they move inside the artwork. I began to contemplate the project through the lens of set design, considering how theatrical sets engage audience’s imaginations by suggesting a location while simultaneously inviting a suspension of disbelief. In this process of layering one place over another, to juxtapose the stark, human-made quality of the hallway I felt compelled to evoke the organic shapes and rich colours of Richmond’s natural landscape. Through a series of community engaged workshops, pre-school and elementary aged children created imagery that expresses each participant's diverse experience and perspective of the environment we share, exploring the textures, patterns, flora, and fauna of Richmond through printmaking. The Richmond Photography Club generously contributed reference images to spark participant’s imagination, further linking the prints created to the local landscape and to the artists who share the Art Centre. These vibrant prints have been altered, merged and composed to create a collaborative interpretation of our shared landscape. Utilizing the length of the hallway and the viewer’s inherent movement through space, the design transitions from forest to shore to ocean as it flows down the walls, forming an immersive installation which summons one site into another and offers its visitors a fleeting passage into another place.
October 2019