One of my favourite places to hang out on wintry days is the Esker Foundation.  It is either bopping with gaggles of work-shoppers, panel discussions, tours or other such events or it is simply peaceful, quiet and bathed it beautiful light.  Yesterday found me relatively ‘on my own’ in the space and I really appreciated the impact of the exhibits.

Most impact-full, for me, was Larissa Fassler’s work.  Given my incessant record-keeping and my daily walking-observation-documentation of my pond study, it makes sense that her work speaks to me.  I’ve almost finished my second coffee and Max needs to be speed- walked before a day of teaching.  So, I’m not going to go into long explanations here, but yesterday I felt that I had collided with a very like-minded artist.  It is wonderful to see concepts mirrored back.  And, completely by surprise.

Directly from the Esker website…this…

Larissa Fassler’s work begs us to slow down, look around, and consider more deeply the spaces and structures that organize our cities, our lives, and our identities. Fassler’s current artistic practice is premised on a prolonged process of observing and recording: she visits her chosen sites at varying times throughout the day over a period of weeks or months and remarks upon the unremarkable. She records countless everyday encounters and charts minute architectural details, creating a meticulous record of highly complex sites, looking ultimately for the ways in which space influences behaviour – and for traces of protest or disruption.

I will, later, post about Cedric and Jim Bomford’s work, The Traveller.  Given my University of Lethbridge residence experience…and gazing out at the High Level Bridge for those four years, I was left breathless once confronted by the powerful construction of space in the ‘guts’ of the gallery.  I have much to say about the traveller and was intrigued by the process of a father and son installing such a beast as this, within the context of the Esker Space.

I was grateful to be greeted by Parisa.  It has been quite a while.  The hospitality shown by the Esker staff is consistent, warm and educational.