Collaborative Casa exhibit explores body in various ways
In its third and final year, “Mapping The Body: Wearing The Other” will take you on a contemporary journey of artwork featured by students, alumni and faculty from the Drama department at the University of Lethbridge, and the Fashion Design and Sustainable Production program at Lethbridge College.
The collaboration by the institutions in their exhibit at Casa explores the body in a manner of creative and theoretical ways.
Jorge Sandoval, exhibitor and theatre program instructor at the U of L, said his motivation for the project came from expanding on critical thinking, and the idea of exploring creativity. The idea for “Mapping The Body” was to deconstruct the body, and map it in a different way.
With a costume design background, Sandoval’s art is very textural, and he finds it to be an incredible experience marrying theory with the textural world. It’s more than the visual aspect of art but trying to get people to re-think the way they see art, fashion and the world is Sandoval’s goal.
“My work is always bigger than life, so it’s always big-scale art,” said Sandoval. “The idea is to connect emotionally with the spectator, so it’s not just about the intellectual part of it but it’s the emotional connection that I want to create.”
Brenda Brandley, interior design technology instructor at Lethbridge College and coexhibitor of the project, thought leaving their art open to interpretation would be fun, exciting and thought-provoking for audiences.
“I hope that some piece touches somebody and they’ll think about the body itself, the interaction of the body and theirs, and how they view their role in it,” said Brandley.
Darcy Logan, Casa curator, noted the importance of supporting the work of local artists like Sandoval and Brandley, and to have an understanding of what’s happening in the community.
“Lethbridge has an incredibly rich and vibrant arts community,” said Logan. “It’s important to come out and see how much art that we are able to circulate through this building and then barely scratch the surface of the incredible productions that happen here.”
Among the exhibitors for “Mapping The Body,” will be five other exhibitors showcasing their work. Kylie Fineday will present photographs from her series “The Adventures of Red Thunderbird Woman,” Lethbridge Artists Club will display “Moody Blues”; Halli Lilburn presents her assemblages titled “Collections & Curiosities”; woodworker Roger McMullin is displaying his sculptures”; and Lethbridge photographer Perry Mirkovich is presenting his photographs in the Digital Gallery called “Restless Spirit.”
A reception will take place at Casa tonight at 7 p.m. and the exhibit runs until Dec. 21.