OCTOBER 26, 2013 – DECEMBER 7, 2013
Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre. Medicine Hat, Alberta
As a craftsman, a clay expert and the Artistic Director of the Shaw
International Artist Residency program at Medalta Historical Clay
District, Aaron Nelson has a very broad and deep view of making craft
today. To create the art in this surprising, smart and fun exhibition he
investigated how to mesh sophisticated digital technology with
traditional ceramics, and explore ideas about networking and
connectivity.
In Connectivity, Aaron’s handmade traditional tea cups, platters,
vases and porcelain chandeliers are connected, sometimes by way of their
decorative gold luster, with electrical and electronic circuitry,
telephones, iPods, generators, light bulbs and audio speakers. The
gilded decoration works as a simple circuit board – the surfaces of the
ceramics become energized with flowing electrons as they transmit
electrical current and data. Visitors are invited to ‘turn on’ and
interact with the pieces physically or through their electronic devices.
Elegant and innovative, serious and playful, Nelson’s new work in
Connectivity links the richness of craft objects and craft practice to
our lives today, through which both digital and communication
technologies flow – exploring the connections, both literal and metaphorical, between electronics, communication and craft.
***Public Reception with the Artist – Thursday November 21, 7-10pm***
www.aaronnelson.ca
www.esplanade.ca/aaron-nelson-connectivity/
