Public Art: DIY Field & the Talus Dome

I was reading through the current issue of Border Crossings and came across a short piece about Vancouver-based artist Germaine Koh’s recent public art project for Central Park in downtown Winnipeg. Entitled DIY Field, the work is mediated by viewer participation.

The project consists of 38 steel posts with a 5” diameter which rise up from the ground in a grid pattern, each with an 8” frosted acrylic tube containing blue, red and green LEDs. In addition, each post has 3 buttons that correspond to each LED, thereby allowing people passing through the park to change and combine the colours and illuminate the “field” as they choose. 8 possible colours can be created from the blue, red and green LEDs. “Additively…red plus green makes yellow; green plus blue makes cyan; and blue plus red make magenta…all of them added together make white and, finally, all the lights can also be turned off.”

Because the work exists in a public space (and as stipulated by the Winnipeg Arts Council Public Arts Program guidlines) , it was important to Koh that the work be user-friendly and playful for children as well as adults. As Koh describes in the Border Crossings piece, “I like that it is as inutitive as I hoped it would be. Every time I come along it’s quite different… This is the most crowd-pleasing work I have done in a long time and I’m happy with how it turned out.” (You can find some wonderful images of the project here.)

Beyond public engagement, DIY Field changes with the seasons and the time of day. In the winter, the lit posts will rise out of the snow covered field like beacons, reflecting their colours; and though visible in the day, in the evening the posts will glow and light the dark in brilliantly coloured patterns.

In reading about Koh’s work, I couldn’t help think about our own Talus Dome, which stands beside the newly renovated Quesnell bridge. Both projects were completed in the same year (2011) with similar aims of reflecting and interacting with the specific environmental conditions of their placement. Needless to say, Talus Dome, has been a lightning rod for controversy and not quite as well received as DIY Field.

For me the biggest distinctions lie in how Koh’s project invites viewers to interact with the work in a really dynamic way, and in the placement. Being able to alter the appearance of the work gives viewers to power to shape and respond to the work. Furthermore, its location in an accessible public space facilitates this engagement. The location of the Talus Dome is not accessible in the same way. On their website, The Edmonton Arts Council states that, while “visible from the road, the best way to experience Talus Dome is from the adjacent trail.” While this may be true, I’m not sure that the trails adjacent to the onramp of the Quesnell are not the most conveniently located for most people, unless they’re headed to Fort Edmonton Park (in which case they may still only be driving past). The subject of placement was addressed on this blog, which also contains some really great responses, including one from the Edmonton Arts Council.

As an avid runner, I’m looking forward to being able to run past the work in the summer, instead of just witnessing it from a moving vehicle.

I like that Edmonton is working to create new forms of public art and that this project has sparked some much needed discussion around what exactly that means.

Busy, busy October!

Wow. I can’t believe how fast October is flying by. Fall has been just perfect this year and there are so many great things happening that are worth doing and sharing. But first I’m going to follow in the footsteps of my predecessor and introduce both myself as well as my good intentions for the next six months….

My name is Megan Bertagnolli and the short biography about me on the Writer in Residence page states that I am a writer, but I consider myself to be much more of an educator. What I enjoy is connecting people to new ideas in ways that are both engaging and meaningful to them. I strive to do this by creating a space for dialogue in the talks I give, the programming develop, and the curatorial projects in which I am involved. Having recently graduated with a Masters in the History of Art, Design and Visual Culture, my approach to these different roles is informed by my art historical background, rather than being rooted in art education or practice. As such, one of my principal endeavours during this residency is to engage with readings about critical museum pedagogy and practice, and to investigate how different people use and make sense of visual culture. I’m also curious about the perceptions or beliefs that circulate about what art is or what art has the capacity to be or do.

One of the reasons I’ve been so busy this month comes as a result of Alberta Eugenics Awareness Week and my participation in the Collective Memory Project: Responses to Eugenics in Alberta. Spearheaded by former Writer in Residence Anne Pasek, the entire project consisted of a series of public discussions about the history of eugenics in Canada and open studio where people had the opportunity to make art work responding to that history. This project will be punctuated by an exhibition of both historical documents and artworks that attempts to make eugenic “histories and ideologies visible.” Furthermore, it gives agency to communities and voices not often seen or heard.

The term “eugenics” comes from the Greek for “well-born.” Broadly speaking, however, eugenics encompasses the policies, practices and attitudes that both promote and discourage certain characteristics or socio-cultural groups. Examples include everything from the classification, segregation and sterilization of the “unfit” (those with disabilities, mental health issues, labeled sexually deviant, or from particular racial groups) as well as modern genetic testing, prenatal screening and the rise of designer babies. Often associated with the extreme example of Nazi Germany, Canada’s own involvement includes Residential Schools and Provincial Training Schools which sought to address “the Indian problem” and “the feeble-minded threat” respectively.

This week (October 15-23) is Alberta Eugenics Awareness Week talks, films and performances relating to this history of eugenics in Alberta. Opening on the 23rd in the Extension Gallery at Enterprise Square (10230 Jasper Ave) will be the exhibition component of the Collective Memory Project, which includes an interactive component that invites visitors to actively engage with the themes and ideas being presented by contributing their own stories and reflections to the eugenics tree. While the reception will be this Sunday from 2-4 pm, the exhibition runs until the 23rd of November.