Co-presented with On Main
In Conjunction with PAARC’s SWARM festival of artist run culture
Sept. 7 – 29, 2012
Gallery Hours Wed-Sat 12-6pm
Thurs Sept. 6, 7-10pm Opening Reception, 10pm-1am Video Bar SWARM Afterparty
Sat Sept. 8, 3-3:30pm and 7-7:30pm: Artist and Curator’s Tour
Sat Sept. 8, 8-10pm: “In Camera” with Lisa Steele, Kim Tomczak, Michael Turner and Paul Wong.
Wed Sept. 26, 7-9pm: No Reading After The Internet: Michael Turner’s “On Becoming…”
The Long Time is a major exhibition of 21st century art by Lisa Steele and Kim Tomczak in video, photography and installation. This exhibition curated by Paul Wong features the work of long-time collaborators Steele + Tomczak who have produced an extraordinary body of work investigating aspects of the self for over 30 years. The two are recipients of the 2005 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts, and have received honorary doctorates from UBC Okanagan and Steele from OCAD University for their significant contributions to contemporary life, art and politics.
The exhibition includes …bump in the night (Vancouver), Becoming…, The Miniatures, a series of video objects and the premiere of before I wake…, the trilogy that has been in progress since 2000. The final segment Entranced(2012) has been commissioned by On Main and completes this epic journey to the other side.
The multi-screen installation, before I wake…, brings together for first time the long awaited video componentsWe’re Getting Younger All The Time, Practicing Death and Entranced. This monumental love story searches for the fountain of youth, surrenders to the idea of eternal sleep and crosses the threshold of the hereafter. It is poignant, chilling and deeply personal.
…bump in the night (Vancouver) is a series of life-size photo-text panels featuring students from the Native Education College. Previous versions include Caen (France), Stuttgart (Germany), Barrie and Toronto (Ontario). This site-specific project will be presented in partnership with InTransitBC (Canada Line) at Broadway-City Hall Station and in the storefront windows of 1965 Main Street.
Becoming…, started during an artist residency at VIVO Media Arts Centre in 2006. This four channel installation of urban architectural studies juxtaposing traditional views and housing styles with the radically new designs appearing in urban centers. Vancouver, the city of glass, is presented alongside Berlin, Toronto and Montreal.
The Miniatures is an ongoing series of small-scale video frames of loops, 1 to 1.5 minutes in length that play silently on small digital frames. Each combines scenes from the natural world with political slogans – Power, Make Love Not War, Free Speech, and May ’68. The Vancouver exhibition will include the new miniature Extraordinary Rendition.
The 88-page full-colour book includes essays by Felix Vogel, Jim Drobnick and Jennifer Fisher, Michael Turner and Paul Wong. It is published by On Main and edited by Paul Wong, available September 6, 2012. The book is available online and via mail (ISBN: 978-0-9694777-5-4) www.onmaingallery.com.
This project is produced by On Main. The exhibition and parallel events are co-presented by VIVO Media Arts Centre. The VIVO Crista Dahl Media Library and Archive will feature a special selection of Steele + Tomczak’s 20th century work including publications, ephemera and early video works. The Long Time kicks off SWARM 2012 the annual festival produced by PAARC (Pacific Association of Artists Run Centres).
VIVO is located in the homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples in a warehouse space at 2625 Kaslo Street south of East Broadway at the end of E 10th. Transit line 9 stops at Kaslo Street on Broadway. From the bus stop, the path is paved, curbless, and on a slight decline. The closest skytrain station is Renfrew Station, which is three blocks south-east of VIVO and has an elevator. From there, the path is paved, curbless, and on a slight incline. There is parking available at VIVO, including wheelchair access parking. There is a bike rack at the entrance. The front entrance leads indoors to a set of 7 stairs to the lobby.
A wheelchair ramp is located at the west side of the main entrance. The ramp has two runs: the first run is 20 feet long, and the second run is 26 feet. The ramp is 60 inches wide. The slope is 1:12. The ramp itself is concrete and has handrails on both sides. There is an outward swinging door (34 inch width) at the top of the ramp leading to a vestibule. A second outward swinging door (33 inch width) opens into the exhibition space. Buzzers and intercoms are located at both doors to notify staff during regular office hours or events to unlock the doors. Once unlocked, visitors can use automatic operators to open the doors.
There are two all-gender washrooms. One has a stall and is not wheelchair accessible. The other is a single room with a urinal and is wheelchair accessible: the door is 33 inches wide and inward swinging, without automation. The toilet has 11 inch clearance on the left side and a handrail.
To reach the bathrooms from the studio, exit through the double doors and proceed straight through the lobby and down the hall . Turn left, and the two bathrooms will be on your right side. The closest one has a stall and is not wheelchair accessible. The far bathroom is accessible.