‘Dominion’: Open from August 5 to October 1
By Katie Czenczek, Staff Writer
Located on the third floor of Anvil Centre in New Westminster, the New Media Gallery’s current exhibition bridges the gap between technology and nature while showcasing the works of Mat Collishaw, Jim Campbell, Kathy Hinde, and Davide Quayola.
Technology and nature are uniquely compared and combined in the New Media Gallery’s exhibition, Dominion. Dominion describes the ways in which humankind tries to create technology to control or understand nature’s processes. The exhibition invites viewers to become entranced with the beauty of nature’s movements, patterns, music, and colours—only for technology to be the driving force behind the illusion, as revealed later. Everything from a seemingly simplistic installation of flickering LED lights to a zoetrope paired with dizzying stroboscopic lights can be found in Dominion.
What is unique about this gallery is that the curators, Sarah Joyce and Gordon Duggan, pick the pieces of art they display before they decide on the theme. “We get inspiration directly from the artists we invite to display their work [at the gallery] by seeing which pieces kind of stick together with others as we go to different art venues,” said Joyce.
Not only do they get inspiration for their exhibition themes from the art, but the curators also take time to transform the gallery in accordance to what suits the pieces best. This ensures that the entire space feels as if it adapts in order to better suit the theme, rather than each piece being set up the same way for every exhibition. The curators are always willing to tour people around the gallery, and the entire exhibit is free, which makes it a fantastic place to visit after class.
