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Opening Date
Fri, Jun 1, 2018 - 8pm
I am The Brain,
I am The Beauty,
I am The Brawn,
I am The Fool.
We are the Big Industrial Zoetrope!
VIVO Media Arts Centre presents Big Industrial Zoetrope, a solo exhibition by Winter 2017 Artist-In-Residence, Tom Richardson, with exhibition text by Rebecca Brewer.
Starring Mark Oliver as The Brain and Tommy Chain as The Choir.
The exhibition consists of a kinetic sculpture, a multi-channel animation and sound installation that employs experimental motion capture and game engine animation techniques. Presenting archetypal characters within the setting of a Victorian London street, a disused coal mine, and a theatrical stage.
The Brain represents the conductor of a dysfunctional choir that directs The Fool, a jester that sings and gurns outside a pub. The Brawn, a striking coal miner who eagerly questions: whose side are you on? And The Beauty, a mythical, balding Rock God.
Together forms an ensemble that adopts the thematic elements of zoetrope animation under the ruling of The Brain, an authoritarian dumb machine represented by a functional zoetrope constructed from salvaged materials. Based on the hierarchical relationship between the dumb machine and the ensemble, Richardson eludes to class tensions within distinct moments of Britain’s industrial past.
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.
TOM RICHARDSON (b. 1990, Hastings, UK) is an interdisciplinary artist living and working in Vancouver. He holds a BFA from Emily Carr University where he received the 2015 President’s Media Award for best installation. Centred on animation, Richardson’s practice expands to include sound, sculpture, installation and 2D works. Richardson is a founding member of Duplex, a DIY art space that hosts a gallery and studios on Fraser Street in Vancouver. Recent exhibitions include Rehearsal for a Synthetic Theatre, Field Contemporary, Vancouver (2017), Peer Pressure, Plaza Projects, Richmond (2017), Game/Video Art, Milan Triennale, Italy (2016), The Bureau of True Vision, Spare Room, Vancouver (2016), I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone, Flux Gallery, Aceartinc., Winnipeg (2015), and Break the Legs of What I Want to Happen, Access Gallery, Vancouver (2014).
