Project Phase Three

Cross Pollination AI Generated Imagery by Amber Downie-Back, part of Blossoming Pixels

In Phase Three, the project artists — Amber Downie-Back, Art Action Earwig, Ebony Rose, Evan Locke, Jane Chan, Kayla Henry, Lee Ingram, Melissa Flagg, Nicole Mandryk, Owen Fairbairn, and Valerie Salez — continued to iterate and collaborate on work that had been previously conceptualized and presented, refining and preparing for the final presentation of work in November 2023.

During Phase Three, the project artists have developed a diversity of works, with artists revisiting previously developed pieces from earlier in the project, such as Nesting Instant, Camber, and Blossoming Pixels, as well as developing new individual and collaborative work including a new multimedia video piece by Kayla Henry, Valerie Salez, with soundtrack by Owen Fairbairn, Ripples (working title) by Jane Chan and Amber Downie-Back, a multimedia projection piece by Amber Downie-Back and Melissa Flagg, as well as new individual pieces from Ebony Rose, Evan Locke, and Nicole Mandryk.

Overarching themes include liminal space, our connection to the land, climate anxiety, the body and movement, and the exploration of emerging technologies including generative AI and Augmented Reality. The new and updated works highlighted below will be presented as part of Dissemination Three at the Victoria Arts Council’s Pat Martin Bates Gallery from November 5th – 26th, 2023

Nesting Instant — Art Action Earwig, Jane Chan, Lee Ingram, Owen Fairbairn

This collaborative group will present new iteration of work previously shown at FLUX Media Gallery in July 2023 as part of Project Phase 2, this multimedia installation piece consists of a hanging sculpture, a spoken audio loop with instrumental interludes, as well as the new addition of video components as well as captions and audio transcriptions.

“Using scavenged pieces we created a nest of spoken word sound works to hold feelings of playfulness, isolation and climate disquiet. Desiring to connect to nonhuman natures we imagine that we’re birds and channel the chatter and choruses of shared spaces around us. It is a tribute to birds, even if what is reflected is still our own human nature.”

Nesting Instant as installed at FLUX Media Gallery. Image courtesy of Minah Lee of Art Action Earwig.

Live performance by project artists Owen Fairbairn and Jane Chan as part of Nesting Instant. Image courtesy of Minah Lee of Art Action Earwig.

Nesting Instant as installed at FLUX Media Gallery—exterior view. Image courtesy Minah Lee of Art Action Earwig.

Camber — Ebony Rose, Amber Downie-Back, Jane Chan

A new iteration of Camber, previously shown as part of Dissemination One in February 2023 at the conclusion of Project Phase 1, will be presented by the artists. This multimedia installation consists of several sculptural components interacting with video projections, accompanied by a soundtrack.

Camber is a poetic conversation between sound, installation, video and dance. Born from the collaborative efforts of movement/media artist Amber Downie-Back, visual artist Ebony Rose, and musician Jane Chan — planetary, bodily and elemental imagery are layered in an exploration of both endings and beginnings. Lulling resonant waves, porous surfaces and a flame-like body reflect the cyclical nature of the world, of care/catastrophe, presence/memory, and separation/continuity.

What is it to let go — to dive into and embrace the comings and goings of the tide? Can we trust in the unknown and in what is yet to come?

Camber as installed in arc.hive gallery in February 2023 as part of Dissemination One: Emergence

Blossoming Pixels — Evan Locke, Ebony Rose, Melissa Flagg, Amber Downie-Back

An updated version of the web-based multimedia piece with improved navigation and interface will be presented as part of Dissemination Three, hosted here on the PIDC website. Blossoming Pixels was previously shown at FLUX Media Gallery as part of Project Phase 2.

This process-inspired work uses a web interface that invites viewers to navigate through the artists’ collaboration with AI and each other. Imagery and content sourced from the human body, painting, photography and dance are used. These experiments probe into what kind of emergent forms arise in these cross-pollinations.

Unfurl AI-Generated Image by Ebony Rose, presented as part of Blossoming Pixels

Musings by Amber Downie-Back, Melissa Flagg, presented as part of Blossoming Pixels

Untitled Spring Painting by Evan Locke, presented as part of Blossoming Pixels

Seed by Amber Downie-Back, presented as part of Blossoming Pixels

Water As Old As Our Sun (working title) — Kayla Henry, Valerie Salez with Owen Fairbairn

A new video projection piece from Kayla Henry and Valerie Salez with soundtrack by Owen Fairbairn. Featuring manipulated video imagery of the human figure moving in water projected at a large scale, this dream-like work resonates with the themes of climate anxiety, existentialism, and institutionalism of marine life.