Weavers Windows
Artist: Kristen Roos @kris10roos
237 McDermot Ave.
The title of the work refers to the windows that were in the top floors of weavers’ cottages in the UK prior to the industrial revolution and the automation of the loom, which were called weavers’ windows or lights. The video was designed using techniques found in vintage paint and animation software for early personal computers from the 1980’s and 1990’s, and uses Jacquard weaving patterns from the 1800’s. The designs in Roos’s video speak to the history of the Jacquard loom and its relationship to computers and data, making connections between weaving structures and the blocky pixelated imagery found in early video computer systems like the Atari 2600, early 8 bit computers, and the Commodore Amiga.
cosmos in flux
Artist: Diana Lynn VanderMeulen @dianalynnvdm
492 Main St.
cosmos in flux is multi-channel video developed from Expanded Reality project A Boundless and Radiant Aura. With a specific focus on alternate planetary realities, Diana strives to coax the digital sphere back into an embodied physical presence. Extended from a series of physical mixed-media artworks, virtuality is a means for her to challenge the bounds of cinematic terrain while exploring landscape in relation to the metaphysical. Intentional collaging of elements and embracing glitch encourage a playful renegotiation of information and have become key tools in confronting the artist’s sense of digital-cosmic corporeality.
Tadǫetła ; Walk In A Circle
Artist: Casey Koyczan @caseykoyczanart
174 Market Ave. – Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre
This body of work was created by re-imagining materials from Indigenous culture and Canada’s Arctic as an embodiment of human characteristics and walk cycles within a 3D environment to bring out their spirit. Drawing inspiration from such mediums and materials as moose/caribou hair tufting, beadwork, hide-tanning and quillwork, these works showcase surreal transformations of how they are interpreted and appreciated. As an artist who has loved these materials since childhood but has not avidly used them in a physical sense, my approach has allowed me to work with them in a completely different way with digital influence and being able to implement physics properties.
Nature Bots
Artist: Nereo Zorro @scenereo
492 Main St.
The technology revolution has undoubtedly aided humanity in many positive ways, but in contrast it has also brought upon damage to our world through pollution and the depletion of natural resources. I wanted to create these nature bots as a reflection of our current digital era and invite people to continue conversations regarding the impacts technology has on humanity. The Nature Bot installation highlights the connection between a healthy brain and a healthy heart. The planter head symbolically suggests that we get enough water sun and oxygen if we really care to light the path for future generations to come.
There Was a City
Artist: Sylvia Matas
214 McDermot Ave.
There Was a City was created from satellite photographs taken from Google Earth. I looked for images that felt ambiguous sites where it seemed uncertain if what I was looking at was in a state of construction or decline. After spending so much time inside in the past year and I was thinking about the temporary nature of human-built environments, relative to non-human time scales. These subtitles describe an amorphous group of people and how they occupy these built spaces that are transforming in time.
Colonial Cartoons: Nanabush Across Time
Artist: Kaine McEwan @kain_mcewan
185 Bannatyne Ave.
Nanabush is originally a “mythological” trickster spirit told in many Anishinaabe stories. I decided to interpret him in my own way by using that trickster feel and making him tell stories of Indigenous urbanization and the real issues Indigenous people face. Nanabush is supposed to represent Indigenous people as a whole in my cartoons, all the creators I create within this world are to poke fun or address the real issues going on with commercialization of Indigenous objects or the history of colonial times. To kind of mask it in this fun, rubber-hose cartoon style and make people look twice at it, to really engage the audience.
Unenlightened Triptych
Artist: Bonnie Marin
93 Albert St.
The concept behind the work, is the oppression of marginalized groups of people through the manipulation of religious doctrines and beliefs, that only benefit the few who maintain all the power. Medieval and Renaissance religious paintings were the inspiration for the style of the work, everyday life was the conceptual inspiration. The images on display are printed on plexiglass for its illuminating effect, the originals were built using mixed media collage and coloured pencils.
…from within…
Artists: Kelsey Braun
100 Arthur St. – Artspace Drayway
Through a practice of focused listening and attention to the aural periphery, Kelsey Braun seeks the poetic out of sonic events and within the places they inhabit, utilizing techniques in field recording, foley and improvisation, the results of which take the form of single and multi-channel installation, design for moving image or theatre, collage or the publication of stereo recordings, either solo or collaboratively. Generally speaking, Kelsey’s work pursues sound as a path-way towards an awareness of the moment, the space, or the beings that exist in it.
Nipiy
Artist: KC Adams @adams_kc
100 Arthur St. – Artspace Drayway
Nipiy (water) draws on the Neheyew (Cree) water teachings and reminds us that nipiy comes in many forms. Cree knowledge keeper Pauline Shirt from Northern Alberta explains, “Every time you bless the water, every time you sing, every time you acknowledge the spirit of the water, it becomes medicine because it is spirit.” Shirt’s teaching reminds us that water can be used more than for survival; it can uplift your spirit and heal your soul. The space is transformed by nipiy in magical formations to remind us of its quintessential power.
Chevron Cyanotypes
Artist: Alexis Aurora
Multiple Locations: Artspace Lobby, Bodegoes, King and Bannatyne, Más Coffee
The four works on canvas I’m presenting in the drayway of Artspace are made using a photographic technique called cyanotype. The chevron symbol is printed with the use of UV light. To complete the picture the canvas must go through a water rinse – almost like a wash. The chevron is a shape, simple or multiplied, with a peak alternating with a trough, recalling the movements of water. I think of these works as signs or flags that lead you to an entrance or an exit.
Poet Box
Stage Design: Seema Goel, Dashiell Kirkland Curators: Contemporary Verse 2
84 Albert St.
Poetry Reading Schedule (all performances start at 7pm):
Friday, Feb 2 – Hannah Green
Wednesday, Feb 14 – Azka Ahmed
Thursday, Feb 29 – Ella Taylor
Thursday, March 7 – Cale Plett
Sunday, March 10 – Azka Ahmed
Tuesday, March 19 – Ella Taylor
Thursday, March 21 – Cale Plett
wiigwaas gikendamowin
Artists: KC Adams @adams_kc
510 Main St. – City Hall
My lantern honours the Exchange District as an arts hub and vibrant place to visit, and it recognizes the original peoples of this territory. My designs represent technologies that Indigenous people embraced in the past and present; beading, birchbark biting, and modern information technologies. The imagery contains Indigenous knowledge that vibrates with a wealth of wisdom, balance, hope, and innovation.
Peaceful Protest, the Dividend of True Democracy
Artist: Yisa Akinbolaji @yisaakinbolaji
492 Main St.
The Exchange District was the site of Winnipeg’s General Strike. My lantern celebrates the power of the people and peaceful protest. People’s voices must always be heard, and their human rights must be respected.
Light
Artist: Bîstyek @bistyek_
155 Bannatyne Ave.
“Light” in the artist’s two languages, English and Arabic ضوء Daw’, are merged and suggest hope during the darkest times. The lantern is intended to bring brightness, joy, and warmth, and serve as a reminder of the light at the end of the tunnel.
Beacons
Artist: Anna Binta Diallo @annabintadiallo
155 Bannatyne Ave.
Silhouetted figures from archival photographs highlight multiple histories and the people who pass through this area over time. What draws people here, and why were some displaced? Skyscrapers, industrious warehouses, and financial institutions were erected, but the land was already inhabited by Indigenous people. Immigrants settled the area. There was a historic strike. Today, it is Winnipeg’s artistic core.
Lii Faam Michif Mashkawishiwak pi Tipeemishowak (Métis women are strong and free/own themselves)
Artist: Claire Johnston @clairejohnston__
474 Main St.
My lantern shines a light on the story of Annie Bannatyne, a well-educated Métis woman and philanthropist from the 19th century. Annie publicly shamed and whipped an anti-Métis bigot, exclaiming “this is how the women of Red River treat those who insult them”. This lantern is a tribute to the fierce spirit of Métis women past, present, and future, and exemplifies the unique fire within our hearts.
Magic Fish
Artist: Natalie Mark @floodkiss
137 Bannatyne Ave.
Magic Fish is designed to bring light and magic where extra stars are needed. The jackfish, walleye and catfish connect the urban landscape to nature and the nearby Red River, where all these fish can be found.
Indigenous Perspectives on the Exchange
Artist: Justine Proulx @justineproulx
131 Albert St.
My lantern offers an Indigenous perspective on the history of the Exchange District. The first panel is dedicated to First Nations and the bison who sustained them, especially through the harshest of winters. The second panel represents the Red River Settlement and the dangerous and exhausting work of the Voyageurs. The third panel shows the Exchange District in more modern times, owing much of its growth to Métis and First Nations peoples.
Wiikondiwag : to feast together.
Artist: Destiny Seymour @indigo_arrows
155 Bannatyne Ave.
My lantern was inspired by patterns on an ancient pot. Southern Manitoba has a rich history of ceramics dating back over 5000 years. These early cooking tools were our first beautifully decorated home goods. Many are currently living in the Manitoba Museum with over 3 million shards catalogued. They are relatively unknown by the general population. It’s time we celebrate these beautiful designs.
The Sun Rises and Sets with You
Artist: Jackie Traverse @artbyjackietraverse
140 Bannatyne Ave.
The Sun Rises and Sets with You depicts a mother’s unconditional love of her children, the land and waters.
Murmurings
Artist: Paul Robles @paulrobles_cut
510 Main St.
The birds and the skyline seen from studio windows make me think of Murmuration. I consider this epic natural phenomenon of large flocks flying together, twisting, and turning, and changing direction to understand the diaspora of the Exchange. The lanterns invite you to connect with its past as a hub of labour and commerce, to think of migrant/immigrant (sewing) factories, and to create your own narratives.
Yagasuri Wheat
Artist: Takashi Iwasaki @takashi.iwasaki.art
155 Bannatyne Ave.
Yagasuri Wheat reflects on the historical significance of the Exchange District, its modern-day function and iconic existence, and its future as a more culturally diverse and inclusive place. A traditional Japanese textile pattern of repeated arrow fletchers evokes wheat fields here. Between the spikes of wheat are nibs of a fountain pen that could be used by the artists and writers of the Exchange.
PAG-ASA (HOPE)
Artist: Jonato Dalayoan @4two_design
171 Bannatyne Ave.
Unique patterns were created for each side of the lantern to represent the diversity within our community and the integration of different cultures working together. The design is intended to reflect the bustling creative energy of the Exchange today, while finding joy in the chaos.
Freedom Road
Artist: Skye Spence @skyespnce
80 Rorie St.
Skye’s photography is inspired by the wild concrete village of Winnipeg and his love of texture and light. Light, in all its manifestations, is at the very heart and structure of life and the universe. Understanding how to work with it will always produce the most stunning images, no matter what the message might be.
Redaction
Artist: Eric Plamondon with Joe Kalturnyk @plameric, with support and collaboration from Hi-Rise
555 Main St. – MCCC Obelisk
Feb 14 – March 9, 2024
A public art disruption bringing light to a prominently located War monument dedicated to the ‘Little Black Devils’ who volunteered to form a militia and take arms against the ‘Red River uprising’. For a hundred and forty years a colonial history was placed on a pedestal, first in front of City Hall, and then moved next to the Manitoba Museum. More than ever, today, our history is under construction, or maybe is under renovations, so that indigenous voices can re-emerge on this land. REDACTION will act as pedestal, as a statement of a nation still under construction, still understanding our narrative, bloody as it may be.
Darling, Pass Me My Teeth
Artist: Matea Radic @lovematea
84 ½ Albert St.
Darling, Pass Me My Teeth explores the dichotomy between transience and permanence, nostalgia and fragility, embodied through the juxtaposition of a pair of dentures and a single hard candy. These everyday objects, laden with personal and societal connotations, serve as a reminder of the inevitable life cycle and a reflection of indulgence.