wynne palmer

Wynne Palmer © 2014

I am currently artist in residency with the City of Vancouver from 2013 - 2015, along with 15 media artists with LocoMotoArt. We are a 20 member art group using new media outdoors - digital eco-art! Being the Assistant Administrator/Project Manager for this group of artists, much of my time so far has been in the administration of the members through the residency experience. Along the way we have exhibited in residency at Aberthau Mansion and other Vancouver community centres, in local city parks and in many festivals. We have conducted workshops, open studios, hosted guest artists and lecturers. This year will be a very active schedule and we will be making the most of it!

My personal work for residency will be from September to December and I am currently working on preliminary research, testing a new camera and creating some photo, video, and works on paper. The self-impossed theme for my work is LIGHT! Electroluminescent wire (El Wire), underwater lighting and LED. In 2013, I lead a workshop concerning El Wire and installed an outdoor piece, called Light Pulse made with El Wire. I will be expanding this installation for another show and conducting a series of  community workshops with this fun, inexpensive land flexible light. Upcoming major works with underwater lighting will take me into the warm summer months and works with LED lighting will end off my residency year.

Take a look at the LocoMotoArt Blog to stay current with my work and workshops through this project until 2015.

Photo: Wynne Palmer

Well it's winter again, and as I said last year, this is the time of year an artist like me hunkers down in front of the fire and plots and plans for the upcoming year. But first a year in review.

2013 was a good and very productive year making new contacts, reviving others and getting to know my posse in crime, members of the LocoMotoArt Collective.  I gave a few talks and taught a few workshops. Wrote more than my fare share of paperwork, attended many meetings, worked on grants, residency appications and proposals. Grand total of 8 shows, independantly and through the Collective, and much new work. A good year!

2014 is lining up to be full of adventure and possiblity. Currently many plans are under foot including: 7 scheduled shows so far, a series of workshops from late Summer into the Fall, a show curation, collective arts administration, grant and proposal writing and an upcoming software course. I always take one course or class in media software or hardware during the winter, just to keep me sharp and up-to-date. The biggest change and priority for this year will be to build into my schedule regular breaks, getaways and downtime, very important for a artist!

November 27, 2013 was the Lighting of Aberthau event at Aberthau Mansion in West Point Grey Community Centre. This was an open community get-together for locals to come and partake in the seasonal festivities with hot chocolate, carols sung by the Junior Choir from Ecole Jules Quesnel and digital art works by LocoMotoArt artists in residence Mark Nazemi, Rob Scharein and myself. My new work, Light Pulse was installed out of doors to coodinate with the outdoor lighting of the building, and I also conducted a drop-in workshop for all ages to create holiday ornaments with Electroluminescent Wire (El Wire), which were hung on trees out of doors in time for the building lighting ceremony.

Many thanks to our sponsors and partners: West Point Grey Community Centre, Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, William F. White International Inc., IMAPON, Daivd Eby, MLA (Vancouver-West Point Grey) and Councillor Adrianne Carr.

Much gratitude to LMAC artist in residency Dave Leith for audio and Ash Tanasiychuk from VANDOCUMENT for the terrific video!

Drop in El Wire Workshop. Photo: Sarah Shamash

Student work El Wire Workshop. Photo: Wynne Palmer

I will be exhibiting an EL wire outdoor installation piece called Light Pulse for the Lighting of Aberthau, 6 - 9PM on November 27, 2013. LocoMotoArt members Mark Nazemi and Rob Scharein will be installing video mapping and digital projection projects and I will be giving an EL wire drop-in workshop for the public.

Lots of fun and events to get you in the holiday spirit!

Fun Fact: "Aberthau" is Gaelic word meaning "a place filled with light".

I  have a new installation, called Obfuscate based on the internet meme Keep Calm and Carry On, that will be shown for No Memes No show at the Hot Art Wet City Gallery in Vancouver. Based on the 1939 pre WW2 propaganda poster, I will be making a comment on how this popular meme went from the Ministry of Information to popular culture banality.

Hot Art Wet City Gallery

7PM til late, Oct. 31 Halloween Opening

Oct. 31 - Nov. 8, 2013

2206 Main Street

Vancouver, BC

Special Thanks: Chris Bentzen

Wynne Palmer © 2013

I will be giving a talk on behalf of the Vancouver Experimental Theremin Orchestra (VETO)

PechaKucha Night Richmond 03 - New Worlds, Cultural Days, Richmond Culture Centre Theatre.

This is an exciting and quick-paced talk of only 6.5min. and 20 images, to give the audience an overview of artistic practice in a fun and engaging environment.

I will be giving a description of one of the ealiest electronic instruments, brief over-view of VETO's history and examples of uses of the instrument within contemporary arts practice.

Date: Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013

Time: 6:00 - 9:00PM

Location: Richmond Cultural Centre Theatre, 7700 Minoru Gate, Richmond, BC

Organizers: Richmond Public Art and Richmond Art Gallery

Many thanks: Lauren Burrows Backhouse (RIchmond Art Gallery Media Lab),

Elisa Yon (RIchmond Public Art Assistant), RIchmond Public Art Program and

the City of Richmond Art Gallery for this opportunity!

I am pleased to be presenting a new digital graphic work for Culture Days 2013 at Aberthau Mansion, West Point Grey in Vancouver along with members of LocoMotoArt. This new graphic series, called Obfuscate, addresses the origin of the popular online meme phenomena Keep Calm and Carry On.

Eight artists from the interdisciplinary and multi-media collective, LocoMotoArt, who are artists in residence at the Aberthau Mansion (2013 – 2015), will present five digital installations based upon culture; the texture and patterns of nature; the use of language and words, as expressions, thoughts and impressions of the world around us. All of these themes celebrate Culture Days and are exhibited as immersive, interactive and embodied experiences.

Exhibition Artists:

Mark Nazemi, Maryam Mobini, Sebnem Ozpeta, Sarah Shamash, Merlyn Chipman, Rob Scharein, Wynne Palmer, Laura Lee Coles, and Dinka Pignon.

Where:

Aberthau Mansion,

West Point Grey Community Centre,

4397 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver

When: September 27, 2013

Time: 3:30 – 6:30PM

Thanks to volunteers and staff at West Point Grey Community Centre and Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.

Wynne Palmer © 2013

On September 11, 2013, LocoMotoArt hosted an event to celebrate our award as Artists in Residence with the Vancouver Park Board field park house placement. To thank our volunteers, sponsors and supporters, and to introduce ourselves to Parks Board Commissoners, we prepared a reception, awarded certificates, cut a cake, and had an indoor and outdoor exhibition and performance.

Pictured above is a variation of my project Octopus Garden situated in an alcove of the foundation in the rear of Aberthau Mansion to simulate a large underwater tank.

Exhibition Artists ::

Graham Brown, Merlyn Chipman, Laura Lee Coles, Bobbi Kozinuk, Sebnem Ozpeta, Wynne Palmer, Rob Scharein, Phil Thomson, Miles Thorogood.

Thanks go out to the LocoMotoArt, West Point Grey Community Centre staff and volunteers and the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation!