Artist
Jazz Keillor
Artist Website
Dates
December 11 2020 - February 7 2021
Philosopher's Cafe
December 10 2020
Closing Storytelling Event
January 28 2020
The Fort Gallery is pleased to present of stuff, an exhibition by Halifax-based artist Jazz Keillor. This exhibition is the first of the gallery’s four part series, Making Home, which invites reflection on our changing relationship to the domestic sphere. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and against the backdrop of the Lower Mainland’s housing crisis, notions of home are in flux. The pandemic has seen many of us confined to our homes, as our homes have BECOME offices, playgrounds, schools, and gyms, blurring the boundaries between public and private space.
Jazz Keillor’s exhibition of stuff examines our complex relationships to the objects that occupy our living spaces. Her intricate drawings, paintings and sculptures explore the “layered histories” of objects and the emotional freight they carry. Keillor’s work examines how domestic objects, brimming with stories, reveal histories of individuals, families and communities. Images of transience and precarity run throughout her work, challenging notions of home as static, permanent and fixed.
Keillor’s exhibition will be activated by an interactive community project entitled Accumulations, whereby visitors are invited to submit photographs of personal objects and accompanying stories via social media. Throughout the exhibition, these contributions will be assembled into an accordion-style book to be displayed in the gallery. The book will grow as more submissions are received— bringing personal objects into the public sphere through social media and fostering a dialogue around local material culture.
The exhibition will conclude with an online storytelling show and tell event facilitated by Keillor, where community members are invited to share stories of their treasured possessions, January 28, 7:30-9pm. Please RSVP to Margaret by Thursday, Jan 28 at noon: fortgallery@hotmail.com to let us know you plan to attend and we will send you a Zoom link.
Storytelling Event Information
From treasured heirlooms to everyday items, the objects that fill and furnish our homes are brimming with stories – both personal and historical. A simple domestic chair for instance may start its journey as a tool used for sitting, but with time and use it will inevitably inherit the memories, experiences and associations of it’s users.
Throughout the current exhibition period, viewers are invited to submit photographs of personal objects, along with anecdotes, descriptions, and memories that capture the emotional lives of our physical possessions. If you are interested in participating, please submit a photograph of a personal object and an accompanying story using the form here: https://jasminekeillor.wufoo.com/forms/z16iydvp0b8hbhm/, or by emailing me at jasminekeillor@outlook.com. You can also submit by posting your image and story to Instagram and tagging @fortgallery. Throughout the exhibition, these contributions will be printed and assembled into an accordion-style book to be displayed in the center of the gallery space. The book will grow as more submissions are received – bringing personal objects into the public sphere. For those who can’t make it to the gallery in person, Jazz Keillor will also be updating this page with submissions as they are received. Check back often to watch this archive grow!
On January 28th we’ll be diving into these histories during an evening of storytelling and reminiscence, hosted by the gallery live over Zoom. Fostering a unique dialogue surrounding local material culture through the personal lens of gallery goers, participants will have the opportunity to share their stories and engage in a fascinating round of show and tell moderated by exhibiting artist Jazz Keillor.
January 28, 7:30-9pm.
Please RSVP to Margaret by Thursday, Jan 28 at noon: fortgallery@hotmail.com to let us know you plan to attend and we will send you a Zoom link. We can’t wait to hear your stories!