currently showing

Around The Block

 

A video installation by Jean Bridge

January 4 - 28, 2012

ARTIST TALK:  2pm, Saturday, January 28th 

Jean Bridge will give a public talk Saturday, January 28 at 2 p.m. which will provide a window on her process and considerations int he creation of Around The Block - a multi-channel video and audio installation on view at The Red Head Gallery.  This work is part of Bridge's ongoing examination of how the most ordinary aspects of the urban/suburban environment offer fresh opportunities for us to consider our place in the scheme of things.

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Recently reviewed by The Globe and Mail, Around  The Block is a multi-channel video and audio environment that enacts common realities of the street – where we flow through restricted space with obstructed views.  Our ears are more liberated than our eyes.

Around The Block began as a collection of still images and sounds from a typical urban neighborhood.  Invariably, most views are blocked and/or framed by fences that demarcate property boundaries, constrain pedestrian movement or enforce security. The audio environment on the other hand is relatively boundless. It delivers open and fluid evidence of what people are saying, doing and experiencing.

The aggregation of images that comprises Around The Block is distilled into a continuum of visually limited space without access.  Rendered as three videos projected in series, we see people stroll by – sometimes curious about what lies beyond their view.   All the while, the audible experience tempts us with a glimpse into a larger and unseen world.

Taken as a whole, Around The Block forms a dynamic stream of familiar yet idiosyncratic spaces. It reveals much about the texture and syntax of our urban existence while questioning the culture of constant restriction and separation.  The work constitutes a virtual place where viewers can reflect on the sensations, knowledge and experience that is both available and unavailable to them.


Jean Bridge is an interdisciplinary artist who works in a wide range of digital and interactive media.  Her projects have been exhibited widely in Canada and internationally.  Bridge lives in St. Catharines, Ontario, where she teaches new media at Brock University.  She is also the founder of nGen, Niagara Interactive Media Generator.

The artist wishes to acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council and the technical assistance of Tracy Van Oosten, Barsin Aghajan, Stu Gritter, Ben Mikuska and Duncan MacDonald

For media inquiries or more information contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.jeanbridge.com