After returning from Rio de Janeiro, I created this series of ten paintings, painted on traditional soap “Granado & Phebo” wrapping paper (7 in by 5 in), January 2020. During my last day in Rio, the festivities for Iemanjá, the Goddess of the Water and Queen of the Sea had begun. Before New Year’s Eve, around all the beaches in Rio, people bring flowers and gifts for Iemanjá, they thank her for the past year and ask her blessings for the year to come. Experiencing these events take place, reminded me that I am from this beautiful and inspiring land, where people from different faiths gather to celebrate life. Despite diverse beliefs and backgrounds, this sacred gathering unites us in hope of a better future.
The first video “Windows of Beaulieu” was part of the “Formed by Sand” group exhibition at the Lougheed House from June 21st to September 30th, 2018. “Windows of Beaulieu” reveals the path of the original sandstone of the Lougheed House, showing its source at the former Butlin quarry site. Investigating local places imbued with these historical traces has always fuelled my art practice. The video captures a sequence of scenes of the former Butlin quarry site overlaid by images of the stained-glass windows that are located inside the house. From my perspective, these stained-glass windows evoke nature; calling to its origins, and harkening to the earth it came from. This work hoped to shed light on the intrinsic relationship between natural and built environments and the tenuous line that links them.
The second video “The Book Inside the Temple of Knowledge” was a projection mapping inside the Memorial Park Library during the Beakerhead Event as part of the Spectral Illumination II project with EMMEDIA and Calgary Public Library, September 13th, 2017. During this event, the relief of an open set above the main entrance of the library was projected on the inside of the building that mirrors the main entrance. The idea of this projection was to alude as if this open book could «come alive » retelling the story of the Memorial Library. Photos by Aran Wilkinson-Blanc.
