2017 – bmosher

Permanent Vacation

This exhibition will showcase a select group of recent Brock University Alumni: Katie Mazi, Jenn Judson, Matt Caldwell, Alex Muresan, Jessica Wright and Ben Mosher. As these emerging artists expand ideas and develop new work, they continue to recognize the value of the St. Catharines arts community and the impact it has on their practice. It was here at Brock University that their first investigations began and it was at Rodman Hall (2014/2015 & 2015/2016) that their first professional group exhibitions came to fruition. These artists will exhibit new and exciting work they have been producing as they navigate and emerge into the art communities locally and beyond the region. The exhibition will be curated by Asta McCann Brock alumni (Studies in Arts and Culture).

Additionally, Alumni music students: Grace Snippe and Kurt Dunn will be performing for the night of the reception.

Exhibition: Saturday, November 4, 2017 to Friday, December 1, 2017

regular visiting hours for the Exhibition Space are Tuesday through Saturday from 1-5 p.m
for additional times see: gallery webpage gallery facebook page

see the YourTV Cogeco video

Opening Reception: Friday, November 10, 2017, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Location: Visa Gallery, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Brock University

2018 Bird Calendar

Suspended

Inspired by a dream of falling into the Atlantic Ocean, a video work of panning over the coast line of Nova Scotia on Google Earth.

Visual Artists

A video work documenting the working habits of four emerging visual artists. Compiled in collaboration with Katie Mazi, Sean Benton, and Matt Caldwell.

Inter-Harbour Communication Co.

Collaboration between Ben and Sarah Mosher

Nocturne 2017

“Inter-Harbour Communication Company” connects to a fragment of our partially forgotten heritage; Nova Scotia was home to one of the largest early high-speed communication networks in the world. Visual telegraphy allowed messages to be delivered at speeds unimaginable in a world of letters and post, taking hours not days to reach their destination. By reenacting the methods of these early messaging systems, this project playfully subverts their colonial roots and allows public participation in a communication system built on the foundation of British military communication methods.

In 1795, under the direction of British commander Edward Duke of Kent, troops were made to construct a communication network in our province. The nature of this network was a line of signalling towers using a fiercely-guarded coded language of flags and balls on masts. The extent of the network was one of the largest visual semaphore networks in the world, stretching from Sambro Island to Fredricton. Kent’s vision for his visual telegraph network was for it to allow him to relay messages to Quebec City without his need to leave Halifax. This convoluted and costly venture only remained viable for a few years before being discontinued at large with The Duke of Kent’s departure from Halifax in the early 1800’s.

This system also allowed for inter-harbour communication between commercial and military groups. “Inter-Harbour Communication Company” allows the opening of inter-harbour communications through the use of visual signs and rudimentary phone lines. This playful engagement with communication methods portends a possibility for the distortion and allows an openness of lines of dialogue between the two sides of the harbour.

The Initial Show

Highlighting the talents of mentees Alexis Vessey, Ben Mosher, Ryan Josey, and Kate Grey, the Visual Arts Nova Scotia 2016-17 Mentorship Program Exhibition The Initial Show also includes work from mentors Sarah Maloney, Craig Leonard, Bryan Maycock and Andrea Dorfman. Emerging artists in this year’s program present new work on view at The Craig Gallery at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth June 29 – July 23. Learn more about the artists and their work.

Opening: Wednesday, June 28, 7 – 9pm
Mentee Artist Talk: Saturday, July 15, 2pm
Exhibition runs from June 29 – July 23, 2017

Since the Mentorship Program’s inception in 2006, Visual Arts Nova Scotia has successfully paired emerging artists with established artists to take part in a 10-month mentorship. The Mentorship Program provides an exceptional opportunity for emerging artists to develop both their creative process and professional skills, thus building the foundation for a successful career in the visual arts. As a secondary outcome, the program offers established artists an opportunity to pass on their experience, resources, knowledge, and insight. For information on the program visit: www.visualarts.ns.ca/programs/mentorship-program.

Visual Arts Nova Scotia gratefully acknowledges core funding for the Mentorship Program and exhibition from The Craig Foundation.

The program is also supported by the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, the Halifax Regional Municipality, Boorman Consulting Inc, Business for the Arts, and The Craig Gallery.

An installation of an intuitive wall drawing using a set of symbols, free flowing and responsive to one another.

Crafted in collaboration with Craig Leonard. Containing democratically selected sentimental scents, combined to form a perfume.

Special

Oakville Waterfront 14/06/2017

A series of 3 sculptures were quickly improvised at dusk for an impromptu show on the Oakville Waterfront with junk found on the beach .

Bird Paintings (2017)

Wayfinding

Along a recreational trail in Black Rock, Nova Scotia, artists Sarah and Ben Mosher brought an uplifting poetic experience to the space. Subtly complementing the natural beauty of the path by hanging maritime signaling flags along the distance of the trail. The flags spell out two stanzas of a poe. The poems are revealed line by line as people journey down the path. The poem enforces themes of direction and purpose while the form of the signal flags allow for a quizzical enagment with the viewers. Each of these flags are double sided; the one side, the flag design representing a letter while the back shows the corresponding letter.

By the end of the trail, travelers will have been able to read the poem in its entirety. When they walk back to the beginning, the poem will reiterate its meaning in a new way. Reading the poem backwards, revealing a fresh perspective.

Small Feats

Between

Signal (Blue Red Yellow)

Signal (Blue Red Yellow) 2017

The two lights become placeholders for apposing parties in our society. Disagreements are common between opposing and conflicting ideologies, when given the opportunity to surround ones self with like minded peers our biases and viewpoints is magnified to outrageous proportions. By following, reading, and communicating only within our common circles we strengthen our bonds of thought, enforcing blinders on our perception. By becoming impenetrable to concepts at odds with our prevailing narrative foreign ideas become infections in need of antidote or attack. If we lose our ability of empathizing with ideologies contrary to our own we risk a society that deteriorates and cannot band together. With felt disparities between people becoming stronger I believe we have a need for togetherness and shared experience. We have no time for talk highlighting differences between us, through the depiction of a simple and irrational disagreement it is my hope that people are united by the folly of this work.

Shot @ NSCAD Port Campus 03/02/17

Thanks to Craig Leonard