TORONTO, March 19, 2010 -- Toronto art-making duo Christian Giroux and Daniel Young (CGDY) have been working in York University’s digital sculpture lab over the past few months as artists-in-residence in the Department of Visual Arts. They will present an overview of their work in a free public lecture titled The Making of Boole, Wed. March 24 at 3pm at York’s Keele campus.
During their residency, Young and Giroux have been using the lab’s pioneering rapid prototyping equipment to expand upon their 2008 series Boole, which they created “in a formal dialogue with pieces of IKEA furniture.”
Produced using precision-fabricated sheet metal, bringing objects from the domestic realm into collision with an industrial mode of manufacturing, Boole exists in conversation with the spirit of contemporary modernism. The title is derived from the term used to describe the basic 3D computer modeling operations of addition and subtraction of simple forms in the creation of more complex ones.
The Globe and Mail described the original exhibition of Boole at Toronto’s Diaz Contemporary gallery as “almost lasciviously pleasing and puzzling furniture-like sculptures.” CGDY will present the new additions to their series in a second show at Diaz Contemporary opening April 9.
“The resources in York’s digital sculpture lab are really quite tremendous,” said Young. “Having access to the lab has allowed us to produce a project that otherwise would have been impossible.”
The first of its kind in Canada, York’s lab features a wide range of specialized digital tools and technologies. They include the Torchmate plasma cutter, which can cut metal sheets up to 4 x 8 ft. in size, and the Frogmill 4th axis which carves 3D forms out of wood, plastic or foam in formats up to 12 x 8 x 4 ft. Two rapid prototyping 3D printers are used to create small-scale models for art works. The Objet EDEN 260 builds models out of resin, rubber or plastic in dimensions up to 12 x 8 x 8 inches, while the Solidscape T612 builds slightly smaller models out of wax (ideal for casting metal).
These production technologies are complemented by the Frogmill 3D Scanner, which can be used to scan existing objects to create virtual/digital copies that can subsequently be remade using one of the four manufacturing processes available in the lab. The artist can also adapt these scanned objects, or circumvent scanning and create completely new objects to be cut, carved or printed.
“One of the primary goals of York’s digital sculpture lab is to make cutting-edge digital fabrication technology accessible to both students and leading Canadian artist/researchers,” said Visual Arts Professor Brandon Vickerd, who was awarded a major grant by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation in 2005 to create the lab. “By hosting their residency we’re providing CGDY with the opportunity to advance their practice in a unique way, and at the same time, giving students the opportunity to learn by observing the process of professional artists.”
CGDY have been creating sculpture, public art and film installations together since 2002. Their work has been shown at Scope Miami Beach (2004), Ace Art Inc (Winnipeg, 2004), the Power Plant (Toronto, 2006), the EXiS festival (Seoul, 2009) and Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (2009). Following its recent premiere at Toronto’s Mercer Union, their film installation 50 Light Fixtures from Home Depot was exhibited in Forum Expanded at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2010 and will be shown this fall at Beyond/In Western New York at the Hallwalls Contemporary Art Centre, Buffalo.
Giroux and Young are just the latest in a long line of artists to hold residencies in York’s sculpture program. Previous guests include Britain's Anthony Caro, American sculptors Rona Pondick and William Tucker, and leading Canadian artists Liz Magor, Claire Brunet and James Carl.
York’s Visual Arts Department boasts some of the finest facilities in North America for teaching and research in sculpture. In addition to the rapid prototyping digital lab, York’s L.L. Odette Centre for Sculpture includes a full-service on-site art foundry for casting bronze and aluminum as well as facilities for work in metal, wood, stone, plaster and concrete. Other state-of-the-art facilities in the department include a wide range of specialized studios for painting, drawing, photography, print and digital media, and time-based art.
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What: CGDY and The Making of Boole: Digital Sculpture Lab Artist-in-Residence Program Lecture
When: Wednesday March 24 at 3pm
Where: Sculpture Resource Centre, 195A Joan & Martin Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts, York University, 4700 Keele St. | map
Admission: Free
Information: 416-736-5187 or www.yorku.ca/finearts/events
Media contact:
Amy Stewart, Communications, Faculty of Fine Arts, York University
416-650-8469 | amy.stewart@yorku.ca
