my art as social practice

Chris Bentzen is a Vancouver curator, organizer, button-maker, and soon-to-be gallery owner. A few weeks ago we sat down to talk about art, and one result is this wee video. Chris releases one video weekly featuring a local Vancouver artist. Happy to be included in the roster!

Good luck with your gallery opening, Chris.

Interview with Vancouver artist Sara Ross from bentzen on Vimeo.

Elemental : What Stories are Made of

The story of ELEMENTAL is complex and wonderful
& involves great learning for me!

WHAT IS ELEMENTAL? Through the ELEMENTAL initiative,
the Vancouver Society of Storytelling worked with 5 different communities in Vancouver from March 2011-June 2012. In workshops, each community created stories using different elements as their central metaphor (air, earth, water, fire, metal). Physical legacies and community celebrations followed. On Saturday June 9th, 2012 a bicycle/bus tour showcased ELEMENTAL as part of the 19th Vancouver International Storytelling Festival.

I was excited, proud and honoured to work alongside Naomi Steinberg, friend and community builder, storyteller and artist extraordinaire.
Naomi is an elemental force for good in Vancouver!

My task was two-part.
1. to organize a bike ride to showcase the ELEMENTAL project.
2. to create a zine / artbook documenting the project.

velodeco : make something from nothing

for the last three years i’ve had the great pleasure to create and provide the decorations for a kids bike parade. I hand-make streamers out of used plastic bags + salvaged veggie twist ties.

HOW i ride my bike all over town visiting various large-chain grocery stores where people ‘recycle’ their disposable plastic bags    i don my gloves and dig through the bags of bags    searching for beautiful colours    most bags are not desirable: thin white safeway beige yellow buy-low grey home depot yuck.

A gem would be solid red or blue sears, multicoloured record store, white and pink hello-kitty! I’ll post instructions sometime.

here’s the thing with this work. it’s not collectable. it doesn’t hang on your wall. it’s not new. is it even art? just because some kid hung my quote work on their bike for a few days and rode in a parade… i suppose the kids feel validated for loving their bikes for fun and freedom, parade viewers see the bikes and feel hopeful for the future. i feel good too. okay.

eighty nine : up to good

here come 12 old blog posts that are yet to be created    sorry for the long lapse    i guess this has been an unannounced holiday from blogging    tho not from daily creative actions

does this count?

eighty three : video beginnings

non-sequenced dance cards    aka shotlist    for a new B:C:Clettes video (did you know we have a new website?)      cards created by combined effort of Alana and Red in Hamilton, Ontario

and the results?     ta daaaaaaa

yes beautiful     i agree     video will feature much stop-motion animation     with stills like these    will gladly post video when complete

NOTE    bron and donna c were both sick on filming day     uug     valiant efforting

seventy four : looked just like this

i did not use any effects    the sky was fantastic as i was riding home on my bicycle    i love my bike!

seventy two : mysterious collaborator seeks signs of remembered past in vancouver’s queen elizabeth quarry

seventy one : for mom

dad and i went walking at the park of queen elizabeth in vancouver     mom     we thought you would like these flowers   they were under a corkscrew hazlenut or somesuch

sixty four : mandala : old work

this is car crash mandala : the practice of present moment
it was a performance piece that i create on the street at the encouragement of
Mark Mushet of Vancouver Review Magazine in 2009   and he took the picture

it was published as part of the magazine’s art centerfold. thanks Mark!

fifty nine : collective houses poster

remember this image from before? while not the final draft of the poster i am happy enough with it to let you have a look. maybe you want to attend one of the workshops?

 

INVITE : Terry Lowe

regular blog viewers will already have seen this, tho not a finished version.
i am posting so folks can view the INVITE through an email invite going out today.

thirty nine : material lanterns

5 beautiful pictures from solstice.

seventeen: starhawk poster

Lucky me, i was invited to create a poster for Starhawk’s visit to Vancouver! What I’ve got now is a sore butt from sitting at my computer for 1+ days. I made black and white version of this poster, plus a two-sided handbill as well.

Reminds me that I’ve made so many posters   which i like   that are not documented in a central area. Plans to create a side page here to collect them into one place.

Use what you’ve got, and i’ve got a rad computer and photoshop.

fifteen: process at the studio

Using what i’ve got at my studio means lotsa paint, brushes, plus old wood from a failed project (the wood did nott accept paint and stain evenly).

Abstract: what is the point? what are the points? exploring abstract today. took two pictures of the beginnings of this piece. Amazing how my brain continues to see, and wants to see figuratively, particularly landscape elements. NO! resist the figurative!

other things in process in my studio: i picked up some neat coloured cardboard from the recycling. experimental paintings in the background.

thank you. i’ve got so much to work with!

ten: start a blog

Today i am setting up my blog so that others can see my work. It will take me a few days to get caught up, as some of the pieces remain un-documented. I’ll head over to the studio this afternoon and hope there is enough natural light on this rainy afternoon.

Sharing is caring!

nine: Terry Lowe memorial design invitation for participation

A project i am coordinating & facilitating: a memorial installation for a cycling advocate who passed unexpectedly. This is the bare-bones invitation to participate in a design gathering, where we’ill chew on the project together. Will the memorial installation appear as a future post?

(This flyer is incomplete.)