Lou Sheppard awarded Emerging Atlantic Canada Artist Residency at Banff Centre

Expand

Lou Sheppard

Following a successful first year in 2016, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity – together with The Hnatyshyn Foundation – has awarded interdisciplinary visual artist Lou Sheppard (Halifax, Nova Scotia) the second Emerging Atlantic Canada Artist Residency. Thanks to the generous support of the Harrison McCain Foundation, Lou will benefit from technical expertise, mentorship, studio visits, and opportunities to engage with artists-in-residence during an eight-week, self-directed residency at Banff Centre, followed by the opportunity to travel in Canada to speak about his experience and project.

“I am so honoured to receive the 2017 Emerging Atlantic Artist Residency award,” said Sheppard. “This is an incredible opportunity for me to further my practice and complete a project that would not be possible without the resources and support of Banff Centre. I am grateful to the Hnatyshyn Foundation for investing in emerging art practices in the Atlantic region, bringing the work of young artists on the East coast to the rest of Canada.”

Sheppard was chosen by a national jury consisting of Peta Rake, curator of Banff Centre’s Walter Phillips Gallery; Amish Morrell, Editor of C Magazine; and, East Coast visual artists Eleanor King, Anne Macmillan, and Stefan St-Laurent.

"I am happy to see Lou receive the Emerging Atlantic Artist Residency Award. I was inspired by Sheppard’s articulation regarding their relationship to the process and approach of making art, and I am confident the residency will be a positive experience in the creation of future work," said Anne Macmillan, jury member and recipient of the inaugural residency. “It was an incredible opportunity to participate in this jury, and to be exposed to the inspiring and diverse practices of talented artists throughout the Atlantic region."

“Lou works with found materials, such as videos uploaded to YouTube and publicly available climate change data, in ways that are both conceptually and lyrically affective," said jury member, Amish Morrell. "At a time when we are often overwhelmed or numbed by images that are either nostalgic for a past that no longer exists, or which portend future disaster, Sheppard reconfigures these images so we can more meaningfully contemplate the sociopolitical and ecological conditions that define our present."

During the residency, Sheppard will create a new work called Requiem for the Polar Regions for the upcoming Antarctic Biennale. Requiem for the Polar Regions is an aural exploration of the shifting ice masses of the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The project tracks daily changes in ice by analyzing available satellite imagery and then translates this data into musical notation. The resulting musical scores are then playable on the internet and made available for live performance.

“In a very competitive round of applicants, Lou’s practice shows great promise,” said Peta Rake, jury member. “The way they interrogate the present through various media and disciplines shows a deep connection to site that is not only relevant to the region of the Atlantic, but interchangeable to many locales, distorting the way in which place is understood collectively.”

Valued at $30,000 each (with a commitment for three years), the Emerging Atlantic Artist Residency is a partnership with Banff Centre and the Hnatyshyn Foundation, and funded through the support of the Harrison McCain Foundation. The Residency aims to strengthen cultural connections between eastern and western Canada by giving one emerging visual artist from Atlantic Canada the opportunity to create new work within the inspiring surrounds of the Banff Centre over a period of eight weeks.

“We offer our heartfelt congratulations to Lou for being selected from among a very strong field of candidates for the 2017 residency,” said Kim Lymburner, Executive Director of The Hnatyshyn Foundation. “Now in its second year, the residency has opened our eyes to the wealth of creative talent emerging from the Atlantic provinces. We are proud to partner with the Harrison McCain Foundation and Banff Centre to share this talent with the rest of Canada.

Source: Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity