Canada’s landscape transformed into multi-media exhibit at Telus World of Science

Artist Bruce Thomas travelled across the country to find out what defines us as Canadians

Revelstoke-based artist Bruce Thomas’ new multi-media exhibit Season Cycle – the result of hundreds of interviews, recordings and drawings taken across the country – will be presented at the Telus World of Science in Vancouver from Thursday, June 22 to Thursday September 21, 2017.

Artist Bruce Thomas set out on a cross-Canada tour in search of an answer to the question ‘what defines us as Canadian?’. The result is Season Cycle; an ongoing landscape project that challenges the Canadian historical landscape perspective and uncovers a new approach to traditional landscape painting. Thomas attempts to include Canada’s growing multi-cultural mosaic from the perspective of the changing seasons and the cycle of life they reflect.

“I believe this form of integrated, journalistic, interpretive media has the potential to produce new hybrid art forms, which will encourage innovative practices and ultimately break new ground in terms of understanding our rapidly evolving national identity,” says Thomas.

This exhibit focuses on the seasonal flora and fauna of various regions of BC – from highlighting concerns regarding the ecological fragility of various landscapes caused by rapid human development, to simply showcasing the diverse representation of landscapes that can be found in our very own country. Data from various interviews, field recordings and drawings, were compiled and transformed into a series of large-scale mixed media compositions, sculptures, books, and videos.

Thomas travelled across Canada, focusing on British Columbia, to interview hundreds of Canadians and document their perspectives on what defines the quintessential Canadian landscape. Season Cycle derives some of its inspiration from Thomas’ previous large-scale exhibit, namely, The Canadian PULSE Project, and will incorporate wood and stone carvings, video, photography, and mixed media paintings to reflect Thomas’ experiences.

Season Cycle will ultimately condense the essence of an entire film into a series of individual frames on canvas. Thomas’ methodology is a “series-based”, constructivist approach that uses different mediums to produce tangible examples of an intangible inspiration.

Season Cycle will be presented at the Telus World of Science in Vancouver from Thursday, June 22 to Thursday September 21, 2017.

http://www.brucethomas.ca/