COLOUR RHYTHM

Towers made of red, green and blue blocks in a room
Friday, February 21, 2014 - 5:00am to Saturday, March 22, 2014 - 4:00am

Opening Reception: Feb. 21, 6 to 9 p.m.

Works by Integrated Media instructor Philippe Blanchard

ANGELL GALLERY is pleased to present PHILIPPE BLANCHARD: COLOUR RHYTHM, a special installation by this acclaimed multi-disciplinary artist. The exhibition will be on view in the Project Room from February 21 to March 22, 2014, with an opening reception on February 21, 6-9 PM.

Philippe Blanchard's dazzling sculptural light installations have been likened to "walking into an animated GIF." Using programmed RGB lighting and a library of screen-printed patterns he has developed, Blanchard creates "expanded animations," in which the moving image is liberated from the constraints of the frame, the screen, fixed durations, representation and two-dimensionality. The resulting immersive environments reflect a diverse array of influences, ranging from special effects and computer graphics to the role of pattern in fine art, decorative arts, music and pop culture.

For Colour Rhythm, Blanchard draws upon both early 20th century avant-garde art and today's digital culture. Walls and tower-like forms in the Project Room will be covered with screen-printed modular wallpaper in patterns inspired by Sonia Delaunay, Gunta Stölzl and Anni Albers, three modernists who worked with textiles. Investigating pattern's sometimes ambivalent relationship to the avant-garde, Blanchard also considers its role as aid to contemplation, as found in Islamic art, the serial compositions of Steve Reich and Terry Riley, or even in contemporary electronic dance music.

Blanchard's RBG (red, blue, green) colour scheme references the primary colours of light, as well as the building blocks of digital imagery. Programmed lighting animates the repeating patterns, transforming the plain room into an invigorating psychedelic space in which elements derived from pop culture, modernism and traditional quilting patterns fuse into an Op Art experience for the 21st century.

Philippe Blanchard Digital Rendering

Venue & Address: 
Angell Gallery 12 Ossington Avenue Toronto, Ontario
Cost: 
Free
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