Still Point, Holding Space by Samantha Dickie, Art Gallery of Burlington, Burlington, ON
Excerpt from artgalleryofburlington.com
Holding Space is an exhibition of over 1000 ceramic components exploring our multi-faceted relationship with space – both physically and philosophically. Hung from the ceiling, suspended on the wall and standing tall – raw, abstracted forms interact within the installation as an interface between our human and spatial experiences; the relationship between the lived and the abstract or conceptual. Holding Space uses multi-component sculptures to prompt visual explorations of Space as Emptiness; Space as a Conduit for communication; and Space as held Containment.
Excerpt from samanthadickie.com:
Holding Space
A solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Burlington, Perry Gallery in Ontario, Canada, 2019/2020. The creation of this project was supported by a Visual Arts Grant from the BC Arts Council.
Space is where we live.
We cannot move without space. We cannot breathe without space.
We entangle ourselves with space and the space reshapes us.
Space is what we fill. Space is what we hold. Space is what we leave behind.
We are merged with the spaces around, between and inside of us.
My belief that our humanness is essentially rooted in relational dynamics provides the impetus behind using scale and multiples to create large-scale, multi-component groupings and immersive installations. As this attention to the relational is central to my work, dualities serve as a fulcrum for my practice and allow me to explore particular dyads such as subject/object, seen/unseen, individual/collective, viewer/viewed. Holding Space uses abstraction and expressionism to explore our multi-faceted relationship with space, both physically and philosophically.
This project considers notions of space with 3 assemblages:
STILL POINT
Space as Emptiness. This emptiness can either be experienced as a void, as nothingness, or it can be experienced as unbounded potential; the seed where everything that is new begins. Held in the palm of your hand or inhabiting everything that surrounds, this space holds energy, simultaneously minute and infinite. 1000+ porcelain components define the surface area of 7-foot diameter sphere, dissected in half. Each small component is hung individually with filament from the ceiling, creating a reflective and light buoyancy as the piece undulates in response to movement in the room.
Still Point, Holding Space by Samantha Dickie, Art Gallery of Burlington, Burlington, ON
Excerpt from artgalleryofburlington.com
Holding Space is an exhibition of over 1000 ceramic components exploring our multi-faceted relationship with space – both physically and philosophically. Hung from the ceiling, suspended on the wall and standing tall – raw, abstracted forms interact within the installation as an interface between our human and spatial experiences; the relationship between the lived and the abstract or conceptual. Holding Space uses multi-component sculptures to prompt visual explorations of Space as Emptiness; Space as a Conduit for communication; and Space as held Containment.
Excerpt from samanthadickie.com:
Holding Space
A solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Burlington, Perry Gallery in Ontario, Canada, 2019/2020. The creation of this project was supported by a Visual Arts Grant from the BC Arts Council.
Space is where we live.
We cannot move without space. We cannot breathe without space.
We entangle ourselves with space and the space reshapes us.
Space is what we fill. Space is what we hold. Space is what we leave behind.
We are merged with the spaces around, between and inside of us.
My belief that our humanness is essentially rooted in relational dynamics provides the impetus behind using scale and multiples to create large-scale, multi-component groupings and immersive installations. As this attention to the relational is central to my work, dualities serve as a fulcrum for my practice and allow me to explore particular dyads such as subject/object, seen/unseen, individual/collective, viewer/viewed. Holding Space uses abstraction and expressionism to explore our multi-faceted relationship with space, both physically and philosophically.
This project considers notions of space with 3 assemblages:
STILL POINT
Space as Emptiness. This emptiness can either be experienced as a void, as nothingness, or it can be experienced as unbounded potential; the seed where everything that is new begins. Held in the palm of your hand or inhabiting everything that surrounds, this space holds energy, simultaneously minute and infinite. 1000+ porcelain components define the surface area of 7-foot diameter sphere, dissected in half. Each small component is hung individually with filament from the ceiling, creating a reflective and light buoyancy as the piece undulates in response to movement in the room.