Vida Simon & Jack Stanley: CARRIED AWAY

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Vida Simon, "Excavation Drawings0," 2006

On March 14, at noon, the artists will give a talk about their work in the Stan Hagan Theatre at North Island College.

Kitchen Party, on March 23, at 6 p.m. 

Carried Away is a durational performance-installation that continues from my past works incorporating “live drawing” however this new piece differs primarily in that it involves the participation of another performer: my partner and occasional collaborator, Jack Stanley (writer/curator). At the center of this work is a commitment to improvisation, and the challenge of following one’s line without distraction or self- censorship. I am curious what happens when an observer is incorporated into the work itself. Can I remain focused with the knowledge that I may be disrupted at any moment? And can the decision-maker sustain critical distance in a performative context?

The artists are undertaking a creative residency with CVAG throughout the month of March, with the support of residents at the Creekside Commons Cohousing Community. During their stay, they will also lead a MAKE ART Project workshop, and give an Artist Talk at North Island College.

PRACTICE 

For me drawing is the most direct, fluid form to express my interests in visual storytelling, materiality, and gesture. I approach drawing as an embodied language, a process of excavation, a way of wandering and wondering. The elemental and symbolic qualities of charcoal have compelled me for a long time, but it was during a recent residency in Germany where I made my own charcoal that this material became even more resonant. On a walk I collect fallen sticks, the sticks are contained in a tin and put on the fire, the charcoal is used to draw with, the drawing can be wiped away, the ash residue-remnant tells a story… a cycle is formed. I compose spaces in which viewers are integral to the work, allowing people to fill the gaps with their own stories or physically become part of a tableau. Recent performances have explored discrepancies between nearness and distance, intimacy and theatricality, for example playing with the fragmentation of space through scenes unfolding in different areas of a horse stable, or rooms of an old house. I move in and out of the performative role – at times my body folds right into the installation, or I step out of the scene and engage with the audience. In this way I strive to fuse the theatrical and the everyday. Another recent development in my work is incorporating other people into my performances (both performers and non-performers), so that I at times take on more of a “director’s” role.

Vida Simon

My work incorporates various media combined to form site-responsive installations and performances. I have presented projects internationally, in a wide range of contexts—galleries, hotel rooms, storefronts, theaters, rooftops, a former synagogue, an old horse stable, and a century-old house on Fogo Island, Newfoundland. I recently completed a long duration residency with 3e impérial (Granby, Quebec) and will have a solo show at Kunsthalle Lingen (Germany) in 2017. A running thread throughout my work is drawing, a form that most directly expresses my interests in visual storytelling, improvisation, and elemental materials. My work often draws attention to the detail, the intimate, and the ephemeral. An integral part of my practice is collaborating with other artists and leading art workshops.

Jack Stanley

I ama writer, curator, and arts administrator based in Montreal. My interest in institutional critique started in the ‘90s while studying at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Since then I have been preoccupied with the issue of place and the often-overlooked significance of context in the production and reception of artworks. Key theoretical interests include critical regionalism, situated knowledge, and hospitality. Between 2011–2014 I was Director of Programs for Fogo Island Arts, a not-for-profit cultural institution in Newfoundland best known for its international residency program. I am currently working as Exhibition Coordinator for Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal.

Our Collaborative Work

We first met in a performance art class at the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design. Our collaboration comes through 23 years of working together in different ways: creating artworks, (effigy, Montreal, 2000; Lamplightand Earth, Montreal, 2009; at home and us, Slovakia, 2010), and organizing exhibitions, events, and discussions. From the very beginning we have been interested in the relationship between art and everyday life. For many years we ran a small exhibition/event space in our apartment called a room under the stairs, where we invited artists to come live with us and create works specifically in response to the architectural, social, and metaphorical qualities of the space. This later evolved into Souffles, an exhibition/event space in a former sewing factory in Montreal.

In the spirit of east coast gatherings, the gallery will host Kitchen Party, on March 23, at 6 p.m.  Angela Somerset, curator for the Comox Valley Art Gallery, describes the event as one that encourages connection between diverse communities: “This community potluck and art gathering is open to the general public. It is intended to provide a relaxed atmosphere in the newly created Project Room Studio at the gallery, in which people can gather to share ideas, their favourite dishes and to learn more about the creative research being explored by the current artists-in-residence. There will also be an opportunity to meet and learn about the interdisciplinary work of internationally known artist Rita Mckeough, the upcoming 2017 summer artist-in-residence. There will be a guest appearance by the local band Birch.”