art happens

I don’t know about you, but I love art.  I love seeing art.  I love making art.  I love writing and talking about art.  I also love seeing that process that takes place to make art happen.  It is a rare sight, usually closed to the public and accessible only to the artist, their helpers and the venue.  Well, friends, you are in for a treat.  We are going behind the scenes at one venue for ArtPrize, 45 Ottawa, and taking a look some of the pieces during the “art of installation.”  This series of posts will take a glimpse at art, behind the scenes.

While setting up with my team on Saturday, September 19, 2009, I was able to catch up with a few of the artists at 45 Ottawa.  45 Ottawa has 26 unique and innovative pieces.  Some are collaborations and some are by individual artists.  None of them are disappointing.  The bottom floor of 45 Ottawa is dedicated to installation art and is where we will begin our tour, right when you walk in the front doors.  So here is the first post in the “Art of Installation” series, Holly Bechiri’s “Pages.”

Bechiri’s work lives right inside the front doors of 45 Ottawa.  Once inside, the viewer will see a table with art supplies and blank pages.  These pages are for the viewer to participate on, to become part of the artwork and to be an artist.  Behind that table are three pedestals, each one with a finished artist’s journal on top of it.  These journals are waiting to be opened and read and to inspire you.  The back wall is adorned with more imagery, pages not yet in a book and out in the open, as if still in progress themselves.

Here is Bechiri’s work statement on ArtPrize’s website:

” ‘Pages’ aims to emphasize the importance of creative exploration, to wrestle with the big questions as well as the mundane tasks that fill our lives. This installation creates its own conversation between art on display (the pages on the wall), intimate creation (the artist journals on display), and the chance to get involved (blank journals for the viewer to add to). The interaction between the three elements of the piece, along with the interaction between the viewer and the work, talk about the way we treat beauty, the way we treat the details of our lives, and the importance of observation and asking questions.”

In these photos, Bechiri is playing the role of both artist and editor, selecting images amongst the many she has created that the viewer will see and arranging these images to tell a story.  We see Bechiri, artfully hanging her images with an artist’s eye for color, composition, unity and rhythm.  Colors speak to the viewer; they can evoke an emotion or stir a memory.  They have the power to create a mood and provide energy.  A good composition creates interest, pulling the viewer in and creating a desire to become intimate with the piece.  It adds interest, creates tension and pulls the eye through the piece.  Unity is important in “Pages” because all of the pieces need to be read as individuals and as a whole, since it is an installation.  They need to work together in order for the piece to be successful.  And finally, just like music, good art needs to have a good “beat.”  Rhythm supplies the viewer with a familiar element, something the brain can count on to be there every so often and something to groove to, mentally and visually.   Art does not stop once the artist puts the brush down, so to speak.  Art continues to happen before, during and after the “art of installation.”

Now that you know a little of the behind the scenes work, come down to 45 Ottawa and be a part of Holly Bechiri’s “Pages.”  Make your mark and leave a page for others to see.