The ThunderBlogs

Rubén Ortiz Torres tucked the collar of his black collared shirt into his rumpled black sport coat before crossing and uncrossing his arms. His sculpture, Museum Bench, was the top-billed attraction at Friday night’s Hot to Cold |Cold to Hot opening at the Charles H. Scott Gallery.

The exhibition, held in coordination with the Consulado General de México, provided Mexican-based artists like Torres the opportunity to display their work in celebration of two centuries of his country’s independence.

A dozen-strong collection of twenty-ish students, fringe-goers brandishing programs, and sneaker-clad seniors murmured amongst each other beneath squinted eyebrows as they surveyed Torres’s knee-high, perfectly rectangular prism. A white index card listed the work’s title and described how its temperature sensitive paint was designed to change colour in reaction to heat.

A student shrugged her backpack over her shoulder and pressed her palms down for several seconds on the dark purple surface to no consequence.

Torres’s calm steps carried him over to the crowd of onlookers before they had long to scan the other exhibits.

“It’s designed to work in California – too cold here,” Torres said.

He turned his way into the crown and returned within seconds gripping a white coffee mug by its handle.

“Try this.”

He waved back some of the crowd who had gathered closer and poured steaming water out of a white coffee mug onto the purple bench.

The crowd collectively leaned back in deference to the small clouds of steam that rose from the bench as the boiling liquid slid its way over the smooth surface – turning the purple surface electric pink upon contact. The demonstration provoked nods of “ooohs” and “aaahs” from the close-drawing crowd.

Torres smiled before he passed the mug to the middle-aged woman with a backpack standing to his right.

“Praise the artist,” she said while emptying out the remaining water in long strokes over the length of the increasingly pink bench.

Outstretched hands and slaps to the back surrounded Torres.

“Wonderful art,” the backpack lady said after turning back for a final look at the water-covered bench.

The artists schmoozed in circles as the crowd shuffled its way around the other exhibits as a growing crescendo of Spanish and English carried the celebration into the night.

Hot to Cold |Cold to Hot runs September 18 to October 24 at the Charles H. Scott Gallery at the Emily Carr University of Art & Design

Hours are 12-5 weekdays and 10-5 weekends

Admission is free