FCCS ART

Connor MacKinnon graduated in the Masters of Fine Arts Visual Art programme at the University of Victoria in 2022. He is now a Workshop and Studio Technician for the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBCO.

A Gold Pan stoneware 2023

Generating and using algorithms as tools for creation is a curious process. In many ways, they can be deterministic, repetitive, and reduce the creative act by limiting it to solutions allowable within their bounds. In other ways, they can be generative, speak to unimaginable potential, and ignite a deep sense of questioning. The algorithms at work here are simple. They do not make use of A.I. or neural networks. They don’t feed off big data and aren’t hooked up to any endless networks. In reality, they are more like math equations that deal in digital 3D geometry. Each series follows a unique set of steps which translates some piece of data into 3D models ready for production whether that be 3D printing, CNC milling, or other forms of digital fabrication. While the function of these algorithms ranges from imaginative historical reconstructions to explorations of non-human centered design, and object-based evolution, they all produce and demonstrate a range of variability within a defined system. While some of the strangeness and variability are genuinely produced through the action of the algorithm, it is important to understand that it is a very controlled environment that inherently carries the bias of the person who developed it.

Historical Fictions (Lisbon) 3D Printed PLA & composite gold leaf 2021

While their algorithmic nature directly links these works, they are also a part of a larger and longer-term exploration of material culture through the properties, qualities, and attributes that we associate with objects.  In particular, these algorithms examine those object characteristics as variables or parameters. How far can traits be pushed or changed? When does it become a new object or even a new type of object? Like the algorithms themselves, when does a value break the system completely?

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Con•com•i•tance

The fact of existing or occurring together with something else.

by Jordan MacDonald, & Nayaab Master

Con•com•i•tance: the fact of existing or occurring together with something else, features elevenartists from VISA 482: Advanced Art Practices who work with a variety of, mediums, including drawing, painting; printmaking, sculpture, photography, and new media, to explore themes related to the relationship of interactions that take place alongside one another. Sharing common interests through the exploration of interconnections.

Entering the gallery space, Julia Pearson utilizes a combination of new technologies and printmaking to form an installation that investigates self-identity with overlapping realms of reality. Delainey Vogan uses cyanotypes as a means to reconceptualize the male gaze through a feminine perspective. While Jordan MacDonald’s installation addresses the relationship between fabric and skin as a representation of mental health issues, and the use of natural materials, revealing the many facets of the self. Claire Worrall’s textile art, likewise, confronts her personal mental health struggles by merging objects and garments to build a tale that ties the audience to the piece. Simone King’s textile work explores themes of catharsis and healing while utilizing animal forms t<? portray emotions that are difficult to put into words. Josie Hillman’s interactive performances challenge one’s physical and psychological understandings of social norms by disrupting the underlying societal standards.

The artworks offered by Nayaab Master engages with the process of creation, focusing on themes of intimacy and moments hidden in privacy through the use of mixed media. Moving into the conventional realm of art, Hei Yu Wong’s paintings engage with the concepts surrounding surrealistic illusions via the exploration of elements found within nature. Whereas Chloe Jenkin’s paintings explore themes of place, atmosphere, and individual experience through still images of spaces gathered from film and television. Moving into the natural world, Makeena Hartmann’s graphite drawings on handmade paper elevate native wildflowers to foster the development of a nurturing relationship with nature in the modern world. Lastly, Bella Jiang’s drawings capture and depict the faded-insignificant moments of memories that carry subtle and sensitive emotions.

Con•com•i•tance aims to open conversations around intimacy, discomfort, memory, and self within the natural world; providing a space for reflection on how these themes affect us psychologically and physically. Exploring themes around relationships, body, land, memory and place, the exhibition invites us to reflect on what defines each one of us and our relationships to the ever-changing world around us.

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