Tag: visual arts

The Astronomy Legacy Project is working to preserve pictures of our galaxy on our screens

Looking up at a starry sky, it is easy to get lost in the immensity of it. When using a telescope of sufficient strength, every planet and galaxy becomes a unique and beautiful entity. For over 120 years these images have been recorded on glass plates. The Astronomy Legacy Project (ALP) aims to give the public access to over hundreds of thousands of plates online at no cost. To reach their goals, however, they need the public’s help.

Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is a non profit, educational organization committed to bringing the ALP to life. Founded in 1998 on a former NASA tracking site in North Carolina, the organization soon began exploring the possibility of archiving astronomical plates.

According to ALP’s principal investigator, Dr. Michael Castelaz, the collection of plates began with a gift of over 20,000 plates from a retiring professor. Since the initial donation, the archive is now home to over 220,000 plates with more being received from institutions across the continent.

The contents of these plates range from surfaces of planets to nebulas. Although the current offerings are in low resolution, one cannot help but be mesmerized by the intensity of the images. Halley’s comet racing through the sky is as impactful through a black and white photograph as it is seen in person.

Perhaps the most striking of these is a photograph in colour of two galaxies colliding. The star systems themselves appear red and yellow against a blue backdrop. Although physical motion cannot be captured in such a format, the plate feels emotionally charged and timeless.

As it was clear that ALP was privy to something so significant yet fragile, special care was taken to address the challenges that could prevent their longevity.

The immediate issue presented was how to preserve these images both in the short and long-term. Storage for the physical plates was possible in an unused building on the site, which NASA helped bring to archival standards. One problem persisted — how to save these images for further use and enjoyment. As all the plates stored at the facility are unique, should one break, the images are gone forever.

The ALP’s current project is to individually digitize these plates so as to preserve them for the long run. This will not be easy as there is no standardized format for the glass plates. They range in size from a few inches to two feet and can be rectangular or circular. Since they all differ, many machines that may be used to digitize the images would be ill-equipped for this purpose.

Currently, the ALP does have a machine donated by NASA that is capable of transferring one plate per hour. At this rate it would take over 100 years to digitize the plates they currently have during which time some specimens would be lost forever.

To speed up the process PARI has turned to crowdfunding to try to raise $60,000 for a more effective scanner, the OPTEK 463 VSM. When asked of the benefits of pursuing this funding source, Dr. Castelaz stated that the fundraiser is a great way to let people know about the project.

Crowdfunding, as opposed to government funding, allows for the immediate feedback of donors according to the director of the Astronomical Photographic Archive, (where the plates are stored), Thurburn Barker. Furthermore, appealing to the populous avoids issues such as the fiscal climate or political whims which may make government funding unavailable.

Since the public aspect of the project is present in every element, the turn to the community for support becomes logical. Public participation is a small request for such a wealth of free, public information for us and for future generations.

For more information about PARI and the Astronomy Legacy Project visit pari.edu. To view the current crowdfund visit indiegogo.com/projects/astronomy-legacy-project.

Silver has been a ubiquitous colour in memorable art works of the past. From Andy Warhol’s helium-filled pillowcases, “Silver Clouds”, to Robert Mapplethorpe’s silver prints from the late ‘80s, the colour simultaneously conjures feelings of modernity and nostalgia for the viewer.

Such are the emotions the (SILVER) exhibition and catalogue, launching at the Faculty of Fine Arts gallery later this month, will evoke. Showcasing works by this year’s 34 graduating photography students, it is the bow that will tie up these artists’ last year in their program.

Graduating student Laurence Poirier said the theme for this exhibition links back to the artists’ beginnings. “Silver salt is used to produce film for photography and even if we are using digital photography, the idea of this silver is still there,” she explained. “We all started with analog photography in first year, with silver. And as we all go in different directions, we all started the same way.”

As FOFA gallery director Jake Moore explained, this exhibition has been a long time in the making and will serve as a landmark in their artistic progress.

“These efforts are intended for public engagement, so the year-end exhibitions of graduating students’ works are important conclusions to their program of study, as well as celebrations,” she said.

What makes this year’s exhibition even more significant is the additional amalgamation of works from the students in the form of a catalogue.

“The publication is the result of a lot of hard work and fundraising by the students in the graduating classes,” said Claire Forsyth, a student whose work will be included. “Each student has two pages in the publication which represent the work they’ve been producing over the last year.”

Moore supports the idea of having a catalogue, which she said was meant “to return the focus of the class to the production of the work as opposed to exhibition, and to further the usefulness of the year end publication event.”

“It is very valuable for artists to have evidence of their practice in the form of catalogues and critical response,” she added.

Forsyth said that the strongest link between the 34 students is the fact that they are all in the same class. Beyond that, the presentations are diverse. “Everyone’s work comes from different backgrounds, so each of us is bringing something interesting and unique to the exhibition.”

The result is a vast range of styles and subject matters, representing the individual way each student takes to the craft.

“The images are from a broad spectrum of approaches, everything from classical black and white, to portraiture, to landscape, to conceptual works, to pure abstraction,” said Moore. “The production of the students is as varied as they are themselves and this is one of the real pleasures of the project.”

Among this variety are Poirier’s stills from a video she made, Réchauffement, in which she mimicked warm-up exercises done by actors before plays, and Forsyth’s “Intentional Communities Project”, a series of images that she says “document existing queer and women-only communities across North America with Google satellite maps.”

Students who happen to walk past the gallery will be sure to get an eyeful of the artists’ works. The exhibition was designed to be displayed on the York Corridor Vitrines by student Sean Yendrys with help from another student, Duc Tran.

“They are also responsible for the catalogue design,” stated moore. “This sort of combined effort and evidence of student’s practices is exactly what we wish to bring forward at the FOFA.”

This is a goal that Forsyth echoes in her hopes of what exhibition-goers will take away from their visit.

“I hope that it sparks people’s interest in the work that is coming out of the photo department and the fine arts program in general,” she said. “I think there is a lot of good work coming out of this school and it is important to have events and projects like this to showcase that work, particularly from students who are nearing the end of their degree.”

In a true display of an end of year mindset, Forsyth’s sentiments toward the project mirror that of most who are wrapping up a degree.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the project completed and moving on to work on other things.”

The (SILVER) exhibition will take place at the FOFA Gallery from March 29 to 31. The catalogue launch will be on the 29 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The day had finally come. With the final touches in place and the paintings perfectly straight on the walls, my stomach filled with nervous excitement as I waited for the initial rush of guests. My exhibit, MINDFCUK, was opening as the McGill Fridge Door Gallery’s first-ever solo show and it wasn’t long before the room filled with familiar faces and intrigued onlookers. All of the work had been put in and it was now time to relax and enjoy. I felt like some kind of celebrity, being interviewed on camera about my own creations. It was my moment to share my art with the world.

When you’re creating your own show, you really have to visualize it in your head. I pictured my friends entering the AUS Lounge with the intention of “only staying for a bit” before they were confronted with an art piece right when they walked in. I wanted them to engage with the work and, for those moments of awe and intrigue, to forget about their studying and stress. I wanted them to read artist statements so they didn’t feel lost in a crowd; I wanted for them to experience artwork the way it should be experienced.

Once you’ve established an ideal concept for your show, you need to put a coating of acrylic realism on your idea’s canvas. I chose a student lounge for my exhibit and, along with the Fridge Door team, we transformed the space into an art gallery ourselves. Most of MINDFCUK’s promotional efforts were online or in person, without a huge marketing budget. You should, for sure, think ambitiously and put yourself out there, but understand that artists don’t have their first solo show opening at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts with the Prime Minister in attendance and six zeros beside the price of each piece. Yet those realities do not make your show any less special.

It’s absolutely crucial to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and give them a reason to come. MINDFCUK was a quick break from midterm stress where you could come say hi to your favourite local artist (that’s me), grab some brownies and maybe a glass of wine, and socialize in a beautiful art space.

Don’t hesitate to bring out the big guns when asking people to come. I did. “It would mean so much to me,” I told them. And when they went out of their way to support me, it did.

The number-one most effective tool you can use in your success is your personal influence. Inviting your friends personally is much more effective than blasting everyone with impersonal Facebook invites and hoping they show up. My messages simply acted as reminders to the oodles of people I had contacted personally. Make it genuine. Make it personal.

Remember that persistence pays off. Understand that everyone has their own life and their own commitments, and you need to create enough value for them to come. Realize that you have to start from zero and steadily build up your art career and reputation, one brick at a time. And most of all, remember that you’re an artist, and that by taking the initiative to plan your own show and follow through with its execution, it is sure to be an accomplishment you will never forget.

A military dirge plays off in the distance, enlivened by the drums of war to match; the walls of the the Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery are adorned with artifacts of Quebec’s colonial past. Revelers, expecting something a bit more contemporary, stand facing a 100-year-old tableau of Montcalm’s last stand, looking at each other, dumbfounded. But continuing through Kent Monkman’s new exhibition My Treaty is With The Crown, the artist’s intentions soon reveal themselves.

Weaving biblical myth and Canadian history with a healthy dose of camp, artist Kent Monkman uses a variety of different media to explore society’s ongoing relationship with the taboo. Monkman casts his own alter ego, the aboriginal Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, across a series of paintings, photographs, etchings and videos that are meant to contrast older works on loan from several archives and national galleries. Recalling biblical ‘fallen women’ Delilah (of Samson fame) and Mary Magdalene, Miss Eagle is seen in one painting cutting locks of hair from a sleeping Montcalm, just on the eve of his battlefield defeat. The new work is painted on a large canvas, its romantic style meant to directly echo the century-older works that sit alongside it.

Monkman’s aim to shock spectators with a figure so alien and anachronistic in the otherwise familiar repeats itself throughout the exhibit. He decided it was time to turn the tables on himself, and become the artist instead of the model.

But that only tells half the story. In this exhibition, artistic meaning is derived entirely from the model’s point of view. The environment that Monkman creates, filled with sounds and visions of a different era, is brought to life in the sporadic, playful appearances of his Miss Eagle persona. It has the effect of both lending his very modern alter-ego a historic weight and making the past feel just a little bit weirder.

One of the more successful pieces is also one of the simplest. Two glass cases sit on the gallery’s floor, both filled with large red footwear. On the left, a pair of traditional Cree leggings, actually worn in the presence of the Prince of Wales upon his 1860 visit to Montreal. On the right, a flashy pair of red vinyl boots, with six-inch heels and shining studs along the side that could only be worn, if ever, at a revival of La Cage aux Folles. The artist offers no more explanation, leaving it to exhibit-goers to consider the various implications and similarities that arise from being non-white, non-male and non-straight in  societies that don’t exactly cater to any of those lifestyles.

My Treaty is With the Crown will be at the Leonard & Ellen Bina Gallery until April 16.