If you don’t follow us on either Facebook or Instagram you may not know that we are almost half way through our first artists residency. We are proud to be the recipients of the 2016 National Residency Award and the first annual Dawson Bursary at Spark Box Studio in Picton, Ontario.
After exploring the state of Michigan for some of July and most of August we were stoked to begin working in the studio at Spark Box. We wrote the proposal for this residency and award while we were in Victoria last December. We were surprised to find out the other day that there were about 107 applicants and our proposal was chosen! Our hosts are Chrissy Poitras and Kyle Topping, an extremely talented, energetic and generous couple. They have provided us with a great space in which to work and super comfortable accomodations in their lovely home. We share the space with an ever changing group of artists who have chosen to make Spark Box their studio for one to six week stints. Every one works long hours but when we break to eat we enjoy lively conversation and laughter. After a rigourous week of long working days we all went to the Picton Fair last Friday night for some much needed down time and more laughter. We have even been able to squeeze in visits with friends from Toronto and meet new folks from the county. We are beginning to understand that Prince Edward County is a very tight knit and supportive community.
We will present a multi-media installation entitled Shangri-La at Spark Box Studio on September 28th, 29th and 30th. The installation is inspired by our experiences on the road and at hundreds of campgrounds throughout North America. Using our van as a platform for our photography, video, printmaking and sculpture we aim to elaborate on a Utopian state of being that many roadsteaders dream up and manifest.
Prince Edward County is a place where people of all ages transition to and from the city. It is a destination because of its landscape, food, wine and culture. Throughout the installation we look forward to interacting with the community addressing the culture of tourism, sense of place and a search for home. Incidentally, Prince Edward County was our first stop on our 80,000 km journey. Fittingly we have returned to The County where our transition from home and studio to campervan began. The public is welcome to visit our installation, our van and us at Sparkbox. An evening campfire gathering will accompany the launch of the installation on Wednesday, September 28th, 2016 beginning at dusk. And also from 1pm on Thursday, September 29th and Friday, September 30th as we go about our daily life in and around our home on wheels. The video installation will begin at dusk each day.
We hope to see some of you here in the county!
Spark Box Studio
885 County Road 5
Picton, Ontario K0K 2T0
613.476.0337
info@sparkboxstudio.com