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| Gallery goers mull over the lyrics in Michele Provost's "It's Only Rock and Roll." (Nick Pearce photo) |
It鈥檚 already a minor urban legend. When the Dal Art Gallery鈥檚 new exhibit, Close To You, opened, it generated an impromptu think tank 鈥� folks trying to identify the sources of song tidbits embroidered into Michele Provost鈥檚 鈥淚t鈥檚 Only Rock And Roll.鈥�
Close To You 鈥� 鈥渃ontemporary textiles, intimacy and popular culture鈥� 鈥� is a mixed-media exhibit running until November 25 in the basement of the Dal Arts Centre. It features works by international and intergenerational artists, whose works are linked together under the catch all 鈥減op culture.鈥� Japanese New-Yorker Ai Kijima creates collage-quilts of Spiderman, white rabbits, roses, cats, cops and corsets, out of found objects like handkerchiefs, tablecloths and curtains. Mark Newport knits superhero outfits of his own design, such as the pink and fluffy send-up 鈥淏obbleman.鈥� Scott Kildall鈥檚 鈥淗andwork鈥� is a Warholian parody piece, a 21-minute looped video depicting his increasingly frustrated attempts to knit. And it鈥檚 Michele Provost who generated all the buzz with her salon installation 鈥淚t鈥檚 Only Rock And Roll鈥� 鈥� the satin-stitched pieces feature wildly varied lyrical snippets 鈥� from No Doubt鈥檚 I鈥檓 Just A Girl to David Bowie鈥檚 Space Oddity. Her chosen backgrounds range from pastoral to animal-print to nursery-rhyme, her lyrical choices from poetic to political.
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| Allyson Mitchell's Big Trubs.(Nick Pearce photo) |
The gallery鈥檚 new curator Peter Dykhuis explains the show is part of a larger 鈥渘eocraft鈥� exhibition, started at Halifax鈥檚 NSCAD and branching outwards.
So, what鈥檚 neocraft? 鈥淣eocraft is just this phrase that鈥檚 been bandied about 鈥� 鈥榥eo鈥� is 鈥榥ew鈥�,鈥� Dykhuis explains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a new craft 鈥� or a new way of thinking about craft.鈥�
Mr. Dykhuis has nothing but praise for the varied work of these even more varied artists. Of the super-suits, he grins, 鈥淸Mark Newport鈥檚] aping the garments that superheroes wear 鈥� [they鈥檙e] garments your mother would knit for you. If you were Superman, you鈥檇 need a warmer outfit.鈥�
Asked about the campus legend of Michele Provost鈥檚 bewildered onlookers, he confirms the story, but adds that there鈥檚 a text provided for stumped spectators 鈥� I, and by extension presumably everyone else, don鈥檛 notice it until he points it out. A white sleeve of paper can be hard to miss when Pink Floyd is yelling off the walls.
He also raves over Allyson Mitchell鈥檚 send-up of the Playboy bunny in 鈥淪hebaca,鈥� a reclining, bestial nude rendered in fun fur, and her sculpture 鈥淏ig Trubs,鈥� an exploration of the feminine.
When asked to describe the exhibit, Dykhuis doesn鈥檛 hesitate. 鈥淐heeky,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a twinkle in the eye.鈥� An entry in the guestbook offers another perspective: 鈥淢ark Newport鈥檚 work is bomb.鈥�
Rebecca Schneidereit is a second-year arts student at Dalhousie.