My newest installation work, Depth Sounding, is now on public display at the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre (3220 Cedar Hill Road, Victoria, BC). It will be in this location until April 28th during open hours: weekends 8am-9pm, weekdays 6:30am-10pm. This installation is located in the hallway just past the reception desk and across from the art gallery space. For more images and to read the artist statement for Depth Sounding, click here.

A peek inside my installing process

Incase you might be curious, I thought I would take a moment to share a little about the behind the scenes of art installation. First, I want you know how much I enjoy installation art. I love the challenges that come from working within specific spaces and it is really interesting to see how art can take on new layers of meaning from the surrounding environment.

Over the years, I have come to realize that every installation project is its own adventure and, while I have learned a few tips and tricks along the way, when it comes to preparing to installations… very often you just can’t know what to expect. For this reason I always make sure to have extra supplies and tools with me just in case. The Boy Scouts are on to something good, “Be prepared.”

Often installations require spending time in awkward positions, squeezing into tight spaces, standing on ladders or laying on the floor. You really can’t worry what people passing by might think. A sense of humour helps make this part easier! Earlier this week, as I was installing Depth Sounding, I surprised a few people who were walking down the hall way, peering inside the inset cube spaces when all of a sudden… BAM! There was my face inside a cube! All you can do is smile and carry on. 🙂

For this particular installation I had a fairly short window of time to install. This is where being organized really pays off in helping reduce stress and pressure. While I always do my best to have a clear plan, it is also important to be ready to adapt.

Below is an image of the map I drew so I would know which whales go in each cube (you can see it folded and taped to the shelving in the photo above). The numbers in the corners corresponded to paper bags that contained the whales for that space. I had to reverse the order of the cubes because this space is accessed from behind, not in front. It took a couple tries before I figured out how to do the map, but it was really worth the extra effort.

Reversed Installation Map

Installation Complete

Also at the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre

The current exhibition in the art gallery space, The Art of Mental Wellness: Unveiling the Wisdom of Wonderland, by Amy Frank is also free and open to the public. It focuses on mental wellness and documents Amy’s journey and struggles. Please be advised, it deals with some heavy subject matter and is rated PG-13.

The Second Chance Café is operated by survivors of brain injury in partnership with the Cridge Centre for the Family. Serving homemade baked goods, sandwiches, coffee and tea. Open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 3pm.