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Adversity has touched me, and You are The Most Merciful of the merciful. 2019 Alaa Asim 78” x 36” Plaster, acetate[/caption]
The Absence of features sculpture, mixed media and pyrography by 4th year Visual Art Studio students Esther Kim and Alaa Asim.
The exhibition will showcase fragmented and abstracted bodies of work, raising questions and drawing connections on the subjectivity and objectivity of both body and spirit. By creating a tangible permanence through material, the absent body becomes solidified through the dissection of knowledge, memories, and history. The Absence of is bounded by the concepts of time and the regenerative qualities of life and death.
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Backbone, Esther Kim 2019, 24” x 12” x 88.5’’, Steel[/caption]
Monday to Friday, 9am – 4pm
Closing reception:
Admission is free and all are welcome.
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Apart, together, Vaiva Slapsys, 2018, 73×83, acrylic and thread on raw canvas[/caption]
affect / effect… features large scale abstract paintings and prints by 4th year Visual Art Studio student Vaiva Slapsys.
Everything that we do as people has an effect on someone else, and everything that we come into contact with affects us is some way. Our emotions are constantly shifting, able to be flipped one way or another in the blink of an eye, delicate and forever changing, easy to manipulate, affected by all that is around us. Although we all experience the unpredictability of our emotions as a normal part of our every day lives, we are often asked to put these feelings away as invalid or unimportant, and rarely do we have the opportunity to explore how we are feeling and truly reflect on it.
My work focuses on these emotional effects that we express with our bodies, and how that expression can, in turn, affect another. Using large motions with brushes, my hands, other various assorted tools, and pouring methods, my canvas is stained and marked in immediate ways that reflect the emotions that I feel while I work, and invite viewers to connect with these emotions and reflect on what it brings up for them. The size of the work envelops the viewer, allowing them to wholly sit with what they feel and to give them the opportunity to reflect. My work also includes intricate detail through the use of sewing, embroidery and detail painting work that asks the viewer to come closer, to pay attention, and to really allow themselves to be engrossed by what they see and what they feel.
The show will also include print media that complements the large abstract paintings. My print-making focuses on the effect that a place or time can have on memory. Nostalgic screen prints filled with photographic imagery, whimsical colours and both representational and abstract shapes, bring us back to a specific time or place in our memories and ask viewers to reflect on what kinds of feelings are being harboured there.
Gallery Hours:
Monday to Friday, 9am – 4pm
Admission is free and all are welcome.
all from one is an exhibition of large scale found object paintings by 4th year visual art studio student Catherine Hois exploring the artist’s fascination with the everlasting connection of all living things to the earth.
Artist Statement: This group of works represents my belief that we are protected and taken care of by the earth, because we are connected to the earth as living beings. Why are humans provided everything we need to survive and live a healthy life on earth? Is it coincidence? I believe that is it not. All species on this planet are genetically connected; we are a part of the harmony and flow of life, not apart from it as superior beings, and all atoms that make up life are in constantly rearranging from one living thing to another. Humans are organisms that consist of many functions; we ingest food, absorb nutrients, and excrete waste, we have senses, we have memories, we get sick when we are poisoned, along with many other functions. I think of Mother Nature; life itself as one organism with many functions as well; similar to our own bodies. My inspiration sprouts from these themes and phrases: Intertwine, interconnected, “circle of life,” and “All from one.”
My art works connect to these concepts with the materials I use, the colours, the gestural brush strokes, and the overall unity that I aim for in every piece. The found objects I use are all recycled materials, for example plastic bags, water bottles, plastic containers, old toys, old Christmas decorations, egg cartons, old Tupperware, broken instruments (the list goes on and on). My idea was not only to be less wasteful, but to bring life to the items that would have gone into the trash and disguise “garbage” as lively works of art. In creating these works, I tried to be as environmentally friendly as possible, from using empty paint containers, paint rags, coffee cups, and even snack wrappers; all waste that I produced throughout my painting process.
Gallery Hours:
Monday to Friday, 9am – 4pm
Admission is free and all are welcome.
Dispersion Relation #4: Doug Van Nort with the Electro-Acoustic Orchestra
In this on going series Doug Van Nort performs with curated and invited guests.
All are welcome to come and listen in this immersive sonic space. The lab door will remain open, and people are welcome to come in late or leave early during the show. (Please remove shoes before entering!)
The fourth event welcomes a special performance with the Electro-Acoustic Orchestra. Two pieces will explore new modes of composing for attentional strategies that blend Soundpainting conducting, cross-performer shared sound processing, interactive spatialization and lighting.
All are welcome to come and listen in this immersive sonic space.
Music to Play in the Dark #1
In this on going series Doug Van Nort performs with curated and invited guests.
All are welcome to come and listen in this immersive sonic space. The lab door will remain open, and people are welcome to come in late or leave early during the show. (Please remove shoes before entering!)
An immersive, spatial audio-haptic concert in total darkness for the Winter Solstice!
This concert will feature existing pieces by invited composer Darren Copeland and Doug Van Nort that are re-imagined for the 28.2 audio and 56-channel haptic floor of the DisPerSion Lab. It will also include a new piece by lab member Rory Hoy created for this event.
Copeland’s piece will feature a small amount of light in order to see his performative gesture-based spatializations sound. Van Nort’s piece, originally composed in 2012, will be the first full use of the haptic floor that he has created over the past few years. Hoy’s piece will be a new construction created in the space leading up to the event.
About the guest composer:
Darren Copeland is a Canadian sound artist who has been active since 1985 and lives in the country outside the village of South River (Ontario). His work encompasses multichannel spatialization for live performance, fixed media composition, soundscape composition, radio art and sound installations.
His fixed-media compositions have explored both abstract and referential sound materials. Many of these works are released on the empreintes DIGITALes label and have received mentions from Vancouver New Music, Phonurgia Nova, Luigi Russolo, and other competitions.and lighting.
All are welcome to come and listen in this immersive sonic space.
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Photo of the 2017 Painting Group Show Photo by Helen Olcott[/caption]
Group show featuring paintings by upper-level students in the Department of Visual Art & Art History.
Gallery Hours
Monday – Thursday, 9am-4:00pm
Free admission
WAVELENGTHS
“Wavelengths” serves as a celebration of the achievements of our graduating painters of tomorrow. It is a coming together of a diverse array of artistic styles and sensibilities. Most of all, it is a clear illustration that though we may take our creative impulses in different directions, we are always on the same wavelength; that of innovation, expression, and community.
“Wavelengths” is running from January 22nd-30th in the Gales Gallery.
GALES GALLERY
Location: 105 Accolade West Building, York University
Gallery Hours
Monday – Thursday, 9am-4:00pm
Free admission
Wavelengths: Featured Artists
Emilie Lowe
Deanna Gisborne
Liz Tsui
Alicia Takach
Lin Zhu
Rui Cai
Liying Yang
Mello Fang
Sarah Kowalchuk
Alexandra McDougall
Deledda Wong
Yu Yin
Alexa Everest
Li Huang
Alissa Condotta
Cassandra Mostbacher
John Lawler
Sharon Massey
Miri Rozenvain
Cassandra Panaro
Olivia Bagnoli
Julian Gullone
Azka Batool
Kanisha Dabreo
Dispersion Relation #5: Doug Van Nort with guest Michael Palumbo
In this on going series Doug Van Nort performs with curated and invited guests.
All are welcome to come and listen in this immersive sonic space. The lab door will remain open, and people are welcome to come in late or leave early during the show. (Please remove shoes before entering!)
The fifth event welcomes special guest Michael Palumbo.
All are welcome to come and listen in this immersive sonic space.
Exhibition features works by :
Garnet Hertz, Mark-David Hosale, Evan Light, Lorena Salome, Robert Towmey and more.
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photo of the 2019 Sculpture and Drawing Area exhibition[/caption]
A group show featuring sculpture and drawings by upper-level students in the Department of Visual Art & Art History.
Gallery Hours
Monday – Thursday, 9am-4:00pm
Free admission
The Wendy Michener Memorial Lecture presents Wafaa Bilal (Performing Change)
Wafaa Bilal will discuss specific bodies of work including Domestic Tension (aka Shoot an Iraqi), The Things I Could Tell…, and his most recent project 168:01, elaborating on the evolution of his work and reflecting on his personal experiences living in both the conflict zone of Iraq and the comfort zone of the United States. Bilal’s work explores both the trauma of conflicts and post-conflict relationships through social engagement.
His dynamic, participatory work blends technology and performance to engage viewers in dialogue and places him in the role of the artist as platform initiator, helping to shift and change the distribution channels in the media. The controversial aspects of his work spark deeper conversation and provoke passive viewers to take an active stance with regard to social justice and their own personal/political realities
Location: Tribute Communities Recital Hall
Time: 12:00-2:00pm
Admission is free; all welcome.
The Wendy Michener Lecture, named in commemoration of the Canadian arts critic and journalist, was established at York University in 1986 to provide a forum for discussion of vital issues and developments in culture and the arts.
Belly Dance as Mindful Movement for Stress Reduction
This movement-based workshop utilizes belly dance vocabulary designed for self-soothing. Learn movements that support the reduction of stress and anxiety symptoms. Participants will leave with applications on how stress responses can be experiences on a spectrum from hyper-arousal (feelings of overstimulation) to hypo-arousal (feelings associated with low-energy or burnout). Belly dance used as mindfulness offers gentle wavey movement designed to down-regulate physical stress responses. This workshop also combines more energizing vocabulary through shimmying and shaking as well as core engagement to support up-regulation of the nervous system, based on internal rhythm and percussion.
About the Facilitator :
Shaila is completing her Masters in Dance at York University. She concurrently training as a Dance Movement Therapist through the National Centre for Dance Therapy in Montreal. Her work focuses on belly dance practices that use sensuality as a healing tool within dance interventions. Her movement offerings look at building resiliency, decoupling stress responses and promoting body positivity. Shaila provides a unique framework that maps belly dance vocabulary for nervous-system regulation. Shaila has been an active member of the Toronto belly dancing community for over a decade, both as a performer and instructor. She currently works as a Health Educator and Training Specialist and enjoys offering students training on mental health and well-being.
Dispersion Relation X…where X = you
Dispersion specializes in carving out a virtual space of community, allowing for remote connections of listening and sounding.
To this end, the Dispersion Relation series continues over the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Doug Van Nort will perform each week on Zoom. Please join him and fellow collaborators for a truly unique musical experience.
Event Information
Saturday, April 4, 2020
6:00pm-7:00pm
Zoom Event Link
The April 4th performance will feature:
Alex Ring – Violin
Maurice Rickard – Guitar + Max/MSP
Erin Corbett – modular synths
Dispersion Relation X
Dispersion specializes in carving out a virtual space of community, allowing for remote connections of listening and sounding.
To this end, the Dispersion Relation series continues over the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Doug Van Nort will perform each week on Zoom. Please join him and fellow collaborators for a truly unique musical experience.
Event Information
Saturday, May 2, 2020
6:00pm-7:00pm
Zoom Event Link
Password: 237478
The May 2nd performance will feature:
Viv Corringham – Voice
Rory Hoy – Processed Bass, drums
Danny Sheahan – Voice
Matt Wellins – Laptop
Doug Van nort – greis/electronics
Electro-Acoustic Orchestra @ Dispersion Relation X Continues!
Dispersion specializes in carving out a virtual space of community, allowing for remote connections of listening and sounding.
The Electro-Acoustic Orchestra (dir. Doug Van Nort) is an ensemble comprised of a mixture of acoustic and electronic performers. It is an emergent sonic organism that evolves through collective attention to all facets of sound, and soundpainting-based real-time composition.
The conducting language used with the group is based on Soundpainting, with modifications and additions by Van Nort for the electro-acoustic context. In the words of the language’s inventor: “The Soundpainter (the composer) standing in front (usually) of the group communicates a series of signs using hand and body gestures indicating specific and/or aleatoric material to be performed by the group. The Soundpainter develops the responses of the performers, moulding and shaping them into the composition then signs another series of gestures, a phrase, and continues in this process of composing the piece.”
The EAO functions as a year-round resident ensemble for the DisPerSion Lab, and also runs as an undergraduate and graduate course during the Fall terms. EAO integrates members from YorkU, the larger Toronto electroacoustic and improvising communities, and the international community of electro/acoustic improvisers via performances over the internet.
Event Information
Saturday, August 22, 2020
6:00pm-7:00pm
Zoom Event Link
More Information: Dispersion Lab Facebook Page