Preview
SYSTEMS
Runs until November 10
Truck Gallery
At first Systems – featuring drawings and sculptures that depict the inner workings of the human body – sounds like an art exhibition turned into an anatomy class. However, it is actually a compelling series of works from artists and friends Amanda Schoppel and Brandon Vickerd.
"We have both worked as sculptors," says Vickerd about the duo’s interest in the internal systems of humans. "We wanted to know and learn more about the body."
Think about Systems as reversible nudes – rather than another piece of art depicting the svelte body of a figure model, what’s offered is a close-up of what the skin covers.
The two artists met eight years ago in Halifax, where they both attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Although they now live on opposite sides of the country – Schoppel in Halifax and Vickerd in Calgary – they decided to collaborate on an exhibition that would highlight their collective interest in the human machine.
One of the highlights of the show is two large sculptures, one created by each of the artists. Each displayed on a pine table – one has what, at first, appears to be a complete set of internal organs in their anatomically correct state, but it is actually an intricately constructed sculpture made by Schoppel from thousands of rubber bands.
"It took seven or eight months to create," she says. "I don’t keep count of the number of hours."
The piece, simply referred to as Organs, is at the same time repulsive and strangely appealing. It offers a voyeuristic opportunity to view a representation of our biology while suggesting that both the human body and art are vulnerable to the vagaries of aging and deterioration.
On the other pine table is the human nervous system, contsructed out of long strands of lead that have been welded together, as created by Vickerd.
Once again, the artist has attempted to replicate a stunningly complex system while also creating an engaging piece of sculpture. To be as accurate as possible in his creations, Vickerd spent time at a medical laboratory at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
"There were some reservations on their part," he says referring to the medical staff. "Now they undertand the work"
The other major component of Systems is the drawings by both artists. For Vickerd’s part, he has created a series of 11 drawings depicting the human internal structures such as the circulatory system and skeleton. Using a light pencil on large Mylar sheets, his pieces appear almost ghost-like floating on white backgrounds. The effect draws the viewer in as the delicate structures reveal themselves upon closer inspection.
Schoppel’s three drawings titled Synthesis are more abstract than any of the other works in the exhibition. In pencil, she has drawn an oval object that is an intricate sweep of curving lines forming a shape that shares similarities with the isobars found on a weather map. Left to the viewer’s imagination, these could be cells found in any part of the internal system and the drawings fit well into a show that deconstructs the human body to highlight the beauty of its component parts.
Systems is an interesting collection of work because it opens up a world that is normally left unseen. These 14 drawings and two sculptures help us to understand that the human body is perhaps the ultimate and most intricate work of art – both inside and out. |
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