Regina's Imaginary Spaces

Regina’s ImaginarySPACES

*not affiliated with “Regina’s Secret Spaces”

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Thanks to Luke Black and Dingo-Dog for helping me imagine a better place.

Melanie Wilminkwww.mwilmink.wordpress.com

Unless otherwise notes, photos of Regina courtesy of: Vincent Sorensen

www.reginascenes.com

All images of the artworks belong directly to their respective artists.

For educational purposed only. Please do not reproduce these images as they are not accurate representations of the artworks involved.

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Table of Contents

6-7

8-9

10-11

12-13

14-15

16-17

18-19

20-21

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24-25

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Steven Cohen | City Square Plaza

Dominique Pétrin | Hotel Saskatchewan

Brian Jungen | Royal Saskatchewan Museum

Motoi Yamamoto | Cornwall Centre

Nick Cave | Saskatchewan Dr. & Hamilton St.

Jeff Koons | Off-Leash Dog Park

Tony Oursler | City Hall Plaza

Digital Natives | Digital Billboard

Doug Aitken | McCallum Hill Centre

Steve Messam & Hannah Stewart | Wascana Lake: Powerhouse of Discovery

Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett | Scarth St.

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The impetus of this project was the FA 801 “The Culture of Cities” graduate course at the University of Regina in Winter 2013. The project entailed a portrait response to Regina, and after a long, cold winter I wanted to imagine a better place than the one I was seeing.

Within these pages, I imagined a city where it was easy to install art and receive a response. Where the population actively engaged with the architecture, spaces and other inhabitants, and where they were excited to see the routine disrupted.

I also imagined a limitless budget and no environmental or construction constraints.

Although there were no restrictions to the types of projects I could have imagined, after researching and selecting several of the works I came to realize that I was being surprisingly modest and practical in many of my choices. There was no Mona Lisa installed in a mini-museum on Scarth Street, no completely new architectural structures needed and very few rock star artists.

Although many of these works are unlikely, none of them are impossible. With some money and initiative, they are all possible.

I began to wonder why... of all the things that I could imagine... why I would choose things that were of such a human scale. So realistic? I think part of it has to do with the fact that I wanted to imagine things that would make my

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life here better, and there is no fun in imagining unrealistic possibilities with no ability to make actual change. I wanted to imagine things that would actually change the perception of Regina, and therefore I also ended up with a selection of criteria that I would normally incorporate into an actual exhibition. I imagined a diversity of voices: queer, aboriginal, female, established, emerging, conceptual, playful, gallery-based and community-based. I selected works based on issues that I think are important for Regina to be exposed to and to explore. I selected works that would offer solutions to problems I see in the city... lack of community, lack of interest, lack of sensitivity, stereotyping, disinterest and boredom.

I wanted works that would stop people in their tracks. Works which I could imagine would ACTUALLY engage people in the city, as they are right now—uninterested, busy and self-absorbed—and make them stop to imagine a better Regina too.

I could have kept imagining forever, and I think that I would probably still rather be in Imaginary Regina than Real Regina, but the project did shed some light on ways in which to engage the city as it is, and it inspired me to actualize my imaginary Regina in some small ways while I am here. Maybe in small steps we can pave the way towards these larger projects, and inspire the citizens of this city.

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City Square PlazaThe glowing heart of urban Regina, City Square Plaza is seen here, appropriated by queer performance artist Steven Cohen. Much of the city attended this landmark performance, and were seen bringing Cohen mugs of hot chocolate to keep his strength up in this fabulous winter performance. The artist bravely faced ice and snow in stilettos shaped like human skulls in order to honour the memory of his dead brother, a ‘victim of the economic wars ’, who committed suicide. This touching performance in the heart of Regina’s economic centre questioned the ways in which we use and display human bodies all in the name of progress.

Steven Cohen, South AfricaSteven Cohen was born in 1962 in South Africa and lives in Lille, France. He is a performance artist who stages interventions in the public realm and in gallery/theatre spaces. His work invariably draws attention to that which is marginalised in society, starting with his own identity as a gay, Jewish man. One of his best-known performances is Chandelier (2001/2), in which Cohen, dressed in vertiginous heels and an illuminated chandelier tutu, interacted with residents of a squatter camp in Newtown, Johannesburg, as it was in the process of being destroyed; the work exists as both live performance and video documentation of the public intervention. Chandelier was presented alongside Dancing Inside Out and Maid in South Africa at the Centre Pompidou in Paris as part of the Festival d’Automne in November 2008; in 2009, Cohen premiered Golgotha at the Centre Pompidou as part of the same festival, and in 2011 his latest production, Cradle of Humankind. (Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town - www.stevenson.info)

www.vweb.isisp.net/[email protected]/stevencohen

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Artist: Steven Cohen; “Golgotha” Artwork Photo: Marianne Greber VBK Wien

Regina Photo: Melanie Wilmink

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Dominique Pétrin, MontrealDominique Pétrin is a multidisciplinary artist who dedicates herself to screen printing and creating immersive spaces. She participated in Baie-Saint-Paul’s 29th Symposium of Contemporary Art and at the Québec Triennial at the Museum of Contemporary Art, in 2011. She brings the image to its highest degree of saturation and develops an intense dialogue between images, their support, and their configuration. Pazzazz is a Greco-Roman fresco that recalls the music-hall of the 70s. Excess, wealth, and decadence are represented in an ornamental style that is almost threatening. Between dreams and apparitions, the optical illusion is lost in a maze of pleasure and abuse, enjoyment and intoxication. (Art Souterrain, Montreal - www.artsouterrain.com/en/dominique-petrin/)

www.dominiquepetrin.com

Hotel SaskatchewanA glorious old dame in downtown Regina, The Hotel Saskatchewan has received a makeover by Montreal artist Dominique Petrin. Using silkscreened paper, she wallpapered the bottom half of the Hotel Saskatchewan with playful patterns and teasing textures. The spectacle of the event was heartily embraced by the residents of the hotel, who took it upon themselves one night to illustrate their own exuberance on the interior of the hotel, using hand-illustrated Hotel Saskatchewan stationary.

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Artist: Dominque Pétrin; “PALAZZO II”Artwork Photo: www.dare-dare.orgRegina Photo: Vincent Sorensen

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Brian Jungen, VancouverBrian Jungen was born in 1970 in Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada, to a Canadian father and a Dunne-za mother. He studied visual art at the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design, graduating in 1992, and now lives and works in Vancouver. Jungen has exhibited extensively in Canada and internationally, in venues including the Tate Modern (London), the New Museum (New York), the Biennale of Sydney, the Gwangju Biennial (South Korea), and Secession (Vienna). From 2005 to 2007, he was the subject of a major exhibition organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery that traveled to New York, Montreal, Rotterdam, and Munich. His work is included in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the National Museum of the American Indian, as well as numerous private collections. (National Museum of the American Indian - nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/jungen/index.html)

Royal Saskatchewan MuseumAs part of his “Prototypes for New Understanding” series, Jungen installed these totems in front of the Royal Sasktachewan Museum. Hand-sewed and re-assembled from Nike Air Jordans, these totems reference the consumerization of native artifacts in places like the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. This self-referential installation was supported, in fact suggested, by the curators of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in an attempt to move their collections beyond historical exhibitions into the realm of contemporary art. In a press release, the museum stated that their goal was to “use contemporary art within a historical context and to stimulate discussion around the situation and development of Regina within national and global dialogues. We deeply believe that contemporary art plays a role in the education of active citizens and wish acknowledge that it is the only way to move Regina forward to a better tomorrow.”

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Artist: Brian Jungen; “Prototypes for New Understanding”Artwork Photo: www.catrionajeffries.com

Regina Photo: Vincent Sorensen

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Motoi Yamamoto, JapanBorn in Onomichi, Hiroshima, Japan in 1966, Motoi Yamamoto worked in a dockyard until he went to school and received his B.A. from Kanazawa College of art in 1995. Since that time, he has had numerous exhibitions and residencies and won many prestigious awards. His works have been exhibited internationally, he was awarded a grant from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation in 2003, and won the Philip Morris Art Award in 2002. (Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art - www.halsey.cofc.edu/05_fon/yamamoto.html)

www.motoi.biz

Cornwall CentreAlthough these saltworks were originated by Yamamoto as an exploration and memorial to his sister’s struggle with brain cancer, the patterns have evolved to take on many meanings beyond the personal. The intricate act of pouring salt-lines on earth references the meditative Buddhist sand mandalas, and the patterns sometimes morph from labyrinthine, to cellular to tidal. Here the patterns may appear like tropical storms, which calls to mind the devastating Regina cyclone of 1912, and also more current questions around climate change, environmental protections and our connectedness to the world around us. Motoi Yamamoto once wrote that “Drawing a labyrinth with salt is like following a trace of my memory...”. In this installation, Regina was able to trace its own memories and history; the installation asked its citizens to look at the commonness of the space around them, to connect with it, and to meditate on the transitory nature of their existence.

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Artist: Motoi Yamamoto; “FLOATING GARDEN”Artwork Photo: www.motoi.biz


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Saskatchewan Drive & Hamilton Street Intersection

Although this particular image is from only one of many project locations throughout downtown Regina, it is a particularly evocative demonstration of the power of this performance. Originally designed as a peformance for New York’s Grand Central Station, Cave re-deployed his herd of colourful, life-sized horses throughout the City of Regina. Twice a day, this group of costumed dancers broke into choreographed movement (and audio, as the Cave’s soundsuits also stimulate auditory senses), exploring the transitory and pedestrian posibilities of non-vehicular movement in the downtown streets. Sometimes stopping traffic, sometimes engaging with passers-by, this performance engaged the users of the downtown and stimulated a new way of looking at their surroundings.

Nick Cave, ChicagoNick Cave (1959) is an American fabric sculptor, dancer, and performance artist. He is best known for his Soundsuits: wearable fabric sculptures that are bright, whimsical, and other-worldly. He also trained as a dancer with Alvin Ailey. He resides in Chicago and is director of the graduate fashion program at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. (www.wikipedia.org)

www.nickcaveart.com

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Artist: Nick Cave; “HEARD”Artwork Photo: Travis Magee


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Jeff Koons, New YorkJeff Koons (born January 21, 1955) is an American artist known for his reproductions of banal objects—such as Balloon animals produced in stainless steel with mirror finish surfaces. He lives and works in New York City and his hometown York, Pennsylvania. Critics are sharply divided in their views of Koons. Some view his work as pioneering and of major art-historical importance. Others dismiss his work as kitsch: crass and based on cynical self-merchandising. Koons has stated that there are no hidden meanings in his works nor any critiques. (Wikipedia.org)

www.jeffkoons.com

Cathy Lauritsen Memorial Off-Leash Dog Park

When Regina began to debate the merits of having a space that was pleasant and stimulating for both human and canine strollers, Brian Jungen was initially approached to install his dOCUMENTA 13 hit “Dog Run”. However after considerable debate in City Council, the Honourable Mayor decided that it was unfair to the human visitors who would be barred from entering the Jungen facilities without a canine supervisor. An auction site was soon found with some second-hand Jeff Koons “Balloon Dogs” at bargain basement prices, and that (as they say) is history.

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Artist: Jeff Koons; “Balloon Dogs”Artwork Photo: www.jeffkoons.com


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Tony Oursler, New YorkTony Oursler was born in New York in 1957. He completed a BA in fine arts at the California Institute for the Arts, in 1979. His art covers a range of mediums working with video, sculpture, installation, performance and painting. Oursler’s work has been exhibited in prestigious institutions including the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Documenta VIII, IX, Kassel, Museum of Modern Art, New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Skulptur Projekte, Munster, Museum Ludwig, Cologne, the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, the tate, Liverpool. The artist currently lives and works in New York City.

www.tonyoursler.com

City Hall PlazaThis exciting occupation of the snowbank in front of Regina City Hall was courtesy of renowned New York installation artist, Tony Oursler. His projected personalities anthropomorphize any object they are projected on, including this ephemeral sign of a Saskatchewan season. Playful and irreverant, the snowbanks and sculptures chattered at passers-by, drawing an abnormal influx of winter walkers past this normally desolate nocturnal space. A microcosm of Regina’s own social ecosystems, this installation explored the existential nature of human relationships, isolated

and self-absorbed, locked in dynamic interpersonal struggles.

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Artist: Tony Oursler; “False Color Action”Artwork Photo: www.tonyoursler.com


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Digital Natives, VancouverCurated by Lorna Brown and Clint Burnham, Digital Natives intervened in the physical, social and historical context of the site, the billboard and the city with a series of ten second text messages interrupting the rotation of advertisements. Taking the form of Twitter messages, invited contributors responded to the site’s charged history, the ten-second format and the 140-character limit of tweets. The sign itself became an artistic and literary space for exchange between native and non-native communities exploring how language is used in advertising, its tactical role in colonization, and as a complex vehicle of communication. Encouraging dialogue among artists and writers, between First Nations and non-First Nations communities, and between artists, writers and the public, Digital Natives is public art that the public not only ‘receives’, but also produced. Local and remote audiences were welcome to tweet their messages to @diginativ, and a selection were broadcast.

www.digitalnatives.othersights.ca

Digital Billboard; Broad & 13thOriginally sited on an electronic billboard in Vancouver, the curators of this installation were convinced to restage it in Regina. As a city notorious for its issues with the indiginous population, Regina desparately needed some acknowledgement and healing of communications, and this project invited artists and writers from across North America to submit messages which were broadcast on this electronic billboard in Regina’s downtown. Here, the billboard which is normally mute with commercial messages, vocalized issues on colonization, history, language and communication, all contributed by tweets. With a life that extends beyond the site installations in both Vancouver and Regina, this project lives on through the twitter feed, and has opened up dialogue with the owners of the electronic billboard to make the installation permanent in Regina.

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“Digital Natives”Artwork Photo: www.digitalnatives.othersights.ca


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Doug Aitken, Los AngelesDoug Aitken was born in California in 1968. He lives and works in Los Angeles and New York. Widely known for his innovative fine art installations, Doug Aitken is at the forefront of 21st century communication. Utilizing a wide array of media and artistic approaches, his eye leads us into a world where time, space, and memory are fluid concepts. Aitken’s body of work ranges from photography, sculpture, and architectural interventions, to films, sound, single and multi-channel video works, and installations. His work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the world, in such institutions as the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the Vienna Secession, the Serpentine Gallery in London and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. He participated in the Whitney Biennial 1997 and 2000 and earned the International Prize at the Venice Biennale in 1999 for the installation “electric earth”.

www.dougaitkenworkshop.com

McCallum Hill CentreA little piece of New York in Regina. As a tribute to the monumental and urban drive that inspired the Hill Towers, Doug Aitken revisited his seminal “Sleepwalkers” installations. This silent cinematic work was projected on all surfaces of the McCallum Hill Centre for the entire summer, with the projected images following five actors through their daily routine in the city of Manhattan. Awaking the habitants of Regina, this installation highlighted the contrasts and similarities between Regina and more urbane cities and asked them to reconsider the dreams and desires of a city that always sleeps.

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Artist: Doug Aitken; “Sleepwalkers”Artwork Photo: www.dougaitkenworkshop.com

Regina Photo: unknown

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Steve Messam & Hannah Stewart, UK

Steve Messam is an environmental artist based in the North of England. With his site-specific installations, he sets visual accents in rural or urban settings, which include historical relics and vacant architecture that make us perceive the familiar environment in a new way. He is also interested in space: the interaction of art and audience within confined and open spaces, the role of aesthetics and the physical experience.

www.stevemessam.co.uk

Hannah Stewart is a visual artist based in the Eden Valley near the English Border city of Carlisle. Stewart’s work uses traditional techniques to explore the ideas of beauty, preservation and mortality. There are aspects of both tragedy and humour and the work often utilizes processes that are both alchemical and referential. Primarily creating site specific installations or pieces, Hannah then extracts details of these larger works to become limited edition multiples or photographs.

www.englishartist.co.uk

Wascana Lake Designed for the Venice Biennale, this installation was displaced to Regina. Originally referencing the salt that was harvested from the ocean in the early days of the city of Venice, the work here takes on connotations of the mined and manufactured salts of Potash that prop up the Saskatchewan economy. Although mining is often seen as a hard and masculine activity, here the feminine parasols reclaim some softness and beauty around that discourse and ask us to reconsider our current relationship with the natural environment of Saskatchewan.

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Artist: Steve Messam & Hannah Stewart; “Fleur de Sel”Artwork Photo: Steve Messam & Ben Barden


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Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett, Calgary

Caitlind r.c. Brown is an artist, filmmaker, and collaborator based in Calgary. A graduate from Alberta College of Art + Design, Brown works part-time in the cultural sector, hosts a weekly Arts & Culture radio program on CJSW 90.9 fm, and collaborates frequently with artist/musician Wayne Garrett.

Wayne Garrett is an artist and musician living in Calgary. A graduate from the Jazz Performance program at Mount Royal University, Garrett has a background in machining. Garrett brings mechanical and musical expertise to his work and collaborations and also plays lead guitar for old-time country band, The Bitterweed Draw.www.incandescentcloud.wordpress.com

Scarth StreetRegina’s Scarth Street is often criticized for lack of engagement, and it is rare to see people engage with the space (and with one another) after the nine to five work day is finished. Here, Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garret activated the space to great success. For this project, the public was invited to come to experience the ephemeral beauty of “Cloud”. The installation itself comprised of a skin of incandescent light bulbs, surrounding fluoresent bulbs, which could be activated by pull strings. Working together with the crowd, the participants could try to trigger or shut off the entire installation, or simply choose to just experience the momentous joy of affecting small parts of the whole. As much an installation about community engagement as beauty, this work engaged citizens to come together, to play, and to see their city in a different light.

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Artist: Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett; “Cloud”Artwork Photo: Caitlind r.c. BrownRegina Photo: Melanie Wilmink

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Regina's Imaginary Spaces