S.P.A.C.E. Gallery

Curator's Statement

Artists, in partnership with landscape and public natural space, are becoming the arbiters, mediators and votaries for intimate and sensitive forms of socially engaged public art. Motivated by the fact we have now become so interwoven with and changed by our digital devices and technologies; that attempting to reconnect to the natural realm by way of these technologies seems to be a logical approach. Landscape and nature photography is nothing new in exhibition, however; Covid lockdown blues is unfamiliar. As people were restricted from gathering, I soon noticed a trend that many people were going out for individual and family walks more than usual and photographing their experiences. IMAPON began showing some of these works on our Co-Vid-EO page. Also, I saw many Facebook postings from people who normally didn’t post pictures of animals, birds, landscapes, or cityscapes. Many of the photos were taken using handheld phones and devices. To recognize this community expression using these ubiquitous devices; I envisioned S.P.A.C.E. to be a theme to present these expressions of Art + Technology + Nature. Inclusive of these works, the S.P.A.C.E. gallery includes the creation of an interactive map by IMAPON/LocoMotoArt artist Rob Scharein (to be launched mid-April).

The gallery represents the submissions we received over a couple of months. Many are excellent and outstanding images. They are presented here for your enjoyment, but also as a potential art exhibition archive of community experiences during Covid. A Jury chose seven photos from the adult submissions. All of the children and teens who submitted have one photo on a separate banner also. The Community Legacy Banner will display at McBride Park along with the banner works of First Nation, Inuk and curated artists to complete the art-in-the park portion of the project.

We do this in mind of the promotion of a fresh, experiential driven art movement ‘eco-futurism,’ which is suggested as a schema for expanding ecological awareness. It is my contention that digitally enhanced artworks and digital visualization/mapping practices intervene and exist between experiences of electronic space/place and physical place/space and actually re-awaken our connection to natural places. In a way, it is a reinstatement of our experience and memory of natural realms.

In his book Sacred Balance: Rediscovering our Place in Nature, David Suzuki offers us wisdom.

If we are to balance our remarkable technological muscle power, we need to regain some ancient virtues: the humility to acknowledge how much we have yet to learn, the respect that will allow us to protect and restore nature, and the love that can lift our eyes to distant horizons, far beyond the next election, paycheque, or stock dividend. Above all we need to reclaim our faith in ourselves as creatures of the Earth, living in harmony with all other forms of life. (Vancouver, Greystone Books, 1997, pp 207–208)

Welcome to S.P.A.C.E.: Spirits, People, Animals, Creatures, Echoes.

About Laura Lee Coles

Laura Lee is an arts-based researcher and published author in her work related to human, technology, nature interaction and the re-envisioning of public space. She has an MA from Simon Fraser University from the School of Interactive Arts and Technology. Her supervisor was Dr. Philippe Pasquier. She founded IMAPON in 2009, and LocoMotoArt in 2012, to promote the creation, exhibition and awareness of digital eco-art. The group’s work draws upon the concept of oscillation between the electronic and natural world and the essence of locale.

IMAPON/LocoMotoArt are known for their outdoor interactive, computer-generated visual projections and sound work in the parks of Vancouver. Highlighted projects: Tatlow Park, 2012; Queen Elizabeth Park, 2013; Vancouver Folk Festival, 2014; and during the International Symposium on Electronic Arts (ISEA) at Charleson Park, 2015, Aberthau Mansion, 2017, McBride Park, 2019 round out the group’s artist-in-residency with Vancouver Park Boards (2013 – 2022). Laura Lee’s journal and conference proceeding articles can be found on academia.edu, and researchgate.net and in the recent chapter in The Routledge Companion to Art in the Public Realm (2021) Edited by Cameron Cartiere and Leon Tan.